Beata Maria's Jester
by The Fool's Masquerade
Summary: After witnessing how far her father was willing to go to keep his power over the people of Paris strong, young Arianne is finished with simply sitting on the sidelines and watching him do as he pleases. Taking on the persona of Maria's Jester, Arianne works quietly by night to free and aid the innocent Gypsies that Frollo works to trap and annihilate... ClopinXOC R&R, please.
1. Arianne

Arianne paced the large study, tears in her brown eyes and pain still smarting her backside. The young girl, only eight years old, had been spanked by her tutor, a nun of the church, for crude language. After that, the nun left to fetch her father and inform him of what she had done. Arianne stopped pacing, and gulped; her father would have a conniption. What she had done was trivial in her mind, but to Claude Frollo, every detail would be laced with sin. She sighed and sat roughly on the floor, wrinkling her uncomfortable white dress. .

All she did was curse, and she was in this mess. She touched her silver cross necklace nervously in wait of the return of her tutor, who would surely be in the company of her father. When the door finally opened, she looked up at the face of Frollo, who looked back at her with a less than pleased expression on his stony face. She looked away, and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. He stepped in, his hands clasped behind his back and his dress robes brushing the floor as he walked. The tutor waited outside. Frollo shook his head at Arianne.

"Stand up, girl. Young ladies do not seat themselves on dirtied floors, nor do they sit in such an improper manner." he said calmly, but with an edge of coldness. Arianne sighed and stood, then brushed herself off. After that, she clasped her hands together and stared down at the floor. Don't speak unless spoken to; that was one of the top rules Frollo enforced on her, and she knew not to defy it under any means.

Frollo walked over to the large desk and looked over what Arianne had been working on earlier. He touched the small, leather-bound bible that was opened to the story of Noah's Ark, and finally spoke.

"Now, what is it that you did to upset the tutor so much, child?" he asked. Arianne shuffled her feet and cleared her throat.

"I...I said the 'D' word, father." she said meekly. Frollo arched his brow.

"What caused that to occur?" he asked.

"Well, we were reading Noah's Ark, and, I-I said it."

"For what reasons?"

"I was really surprised that God would do something like flood the world, and it just..." she waved her hands childishly. "It just slipped out. I'm sorry, father." She gripped her dress when she was done and awaited his response, hoping he wouldn't see past the lie. She wasn't surprised by the story. She was bored with it, and when she found that there was another two hours of reading, the word 'damn' slipped exasperatedly from her mouth. Frollo studied her for a moment before speaking.

"It is a sin for a child to curse. Did you know that? God does not look favorably upon little ones who commit these acts." he walked slowly towards Arianne, and she couldn't help but tremble. The tutor's beating were nothing compared to his 'cleansings'. The image of a whip flashed in her mind, and she slammed her eyes shut. Since she expected pain, she was shocked that he only rested his hand on her silver hair. "But, we must remember that the Lord God is merciful, and loving; just as I am. It was a slip of the tongue, and you have confessed. You are forgiven." he said. Arianne smiled up at him.

"Thank you, father. You are merciful." she said quietly. She would have hugged him, but knew not to. Their relationship was little more than master and servant, and that was all. Frollo nodded his head at her words, and patted her once on the head before walking to the door.

"Remember though, Arianne; should something like this happen once again, you will not be forgiven so easily." he said calmly, gave her one look of warning, and left. The tutor walked in and closed the door behind her. Arianne sighed, feeling a terrible weight leave her shoulders. She ws thankful that her father had an ounce of mercy in his body.

"Back to the lesson, young lady." the nun said, and pointed to the desk. Arianne huffed, but complied.

'Damned bible study...' she thought bitterly as she sat down to continue her reading.

...

Hours later, Arianne sat in the dining room at one end of the large dining table. A silver plate of seasoned meat, salad, and buttered bread was placed in front of her with a silver cup of water. Before she ate, she looked at the other end of the table, where her father was usually seated. The chair was empty, and there was no food present. She looked questioningly up at her caretaker, Cilia.

"The Judge is visiting la Notre Dame at the moment. He brought a basket of food with him, so don't worry." the old woman said kindly.

"He's gone to visit that kid, hasn't he?" Arianne asked. She had heard rumor that her father was caring for another child, who remained hidden in the cathedral, away from the eyes of the public. Apparently he was ugly, or something like that. "He's paying more attention to that kid than me lately, not that that's saying much..." she muttered. Cilia tsked.

"I think it's noble that he has taken the child in." she said.

"He didn't take him in, he stuck him in Notre Dame. Notre Dame took him in."

"He teaches and clothes the child. I find that noble, Arianne."

"The kid is only three! What is there to teach right now, besides colors and shapes?"

"Says the girl who learned to read when she was only four." Cilia said. Arianne frowned, and crossed her arms.

"You're supposed to be on my side, Cilia." she pouted.

"I would be, but you're only jealous that your father is setting his attentions on a child that is not yourself. You must learn to grow used to it, dear." Cilia said. Arianne would have argued, but decided to drop it.

"Yeah...whatever..." she said instead.

"Perhaps you may be able to meet this child in the future, miss. That would be nice, right?"

"I guess so." Arianne began to eat, thinking mostly about how special this other child had to be to have her father's attention and teachings.

'He must be pretty interesting...' she thought, and and finally placed her mind on other things.

...

...TWO YEARS LATER...

"Father, why does he stay in the bell tower?" Arianne asked. She was now ten years old, some inches taller, and her silver hair reached just past her shoulders. She was tall for a child, and was shorter than just a few of the children that she was permitted to play with, which was only a select few that her father allowed to be near her.

"Because he is a monster, cursed by the devil for his heathen mother's damnable acts. His ugliness is a crime that the public would neither forgive or take pity on. I keep him here, safe from the jeering eyes of this cruel society." Frollo said. Arianne nodded.

'You just don't want to be seen with him...' she thought as they finally reached the door that lead to the bell room. Frollo opened it, and ushered her inside.

"Quasimodo, I have come, and have brought a guest." he said. Arianne heard a shuffling from behind one of the many beams in the area. Frollo and her walked up some stairs to a second floor of the room, where there was a spacious area littered with cloth and some broken toys. "Quasimodo, come out." Frollo said reassuredly, though Arianne didn't believe it. "She is my daughter, a friend. She is pure. Nothing like the evil members of society." Arianne shook her head just a fraction; what poison was her father feeding this boy's mind to keep him from going outside...

"F-friend?" said a young voice. Arianne looked immediately upward to where the voice came from. She saw the silhouette of a boy slouched over, sitting on one of the rails.

"Yes, Quasimodo, now come down at once." Frollo said gently, but with a hint of agitation. The silhouette immediately made their way down, climbing and jumping as they went, remaining in the shadows. Arianne was surprised that a five-year-old was such an acrobat...

When he finally reached the floor, the boy stayed slouched over as he walked forward and into the light. Arianne gasped slightly, and forced herself to keep a calm face. He couldn't help the slouch; he was hunched over. His face was disfigured, and wiry red hair grew just past his eyes. He walked with a limp, and often resorted to using his large arms to keep himself balanced. A worried expression was on his young face, and Arianne noticed. She cleared her throat and walked forward.

"H-hullo, Quasimodo. My name is Arianne." she said. Quasimodo looked her over suspiciously, and she smiled at his awkwardness towards her. "It's nice to meet you." she said, and held out her hand to shake his. He walked forward, took her hand and kissed the top of it. She drew back, and he did the same.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." Quasimodo said, and shielded himself from her. Arianne frowned, wondering haw he was punished when he did things 'he didn't mean to'.

"No, silly, you just shake my hand." she said, and walked over to him. She took his hand, and brought it up and down continuously. Quasimodo watched the act in confusion, and Arianne laughed at his expression.

"It's how normal people say 'nice to meet you' with their hands, you see?" she said. Quasimodo slowly nodded, and a small smile lit up his face and he shook her hand so vigorously she was nearly brought into the air. When she pulled back, she was still smiling, even though her hand hurt just a little.

"N-nice to meet you, Arianne." Quasimodo said. Frollo coughed behind them, and the hunchback child snapped to attention. Arianne raised a brow at the action, but said nothing.

"I need to speak with the archdeacon. Until I am ready for your lesson, show my daughter around this area." Frollo said, and went back to the stairs. Quasimodo nodded and took Arianne's hand back in his and he lead her to the outside. Arianne gasped at the view, and the height.

"_Tant de beaute_, so amazing..." she muttered.

"Yeah, a-and these are my friends." Quasimodo said and pointed to three gargoyles, a tall one, a short and fat one, and an old looking one that was covered in birds. Arianne forced a smile on her face, secretly pitying the kid for not having any real friends. But, he was so young, and for now imaginary friends were almost expected.

"Ah, I see. They look kind, Quasi." she said. He nodded, grinning.

"They are, they are. They're always there when I need them. My best friends." he said. Arianne nodded, and pointed to herself.

"Well, can I be your friend to?" she asked. Quasi hesitated, then looked to one of the gargoyles, the old, bird covered one, as if seeking advice. Arianne, for just an instant, thought she saw the gargoyle's head move just a fraction, and she rubbed her eyes, figuring she must be tired. Gargoyles don't move. That was preposterous.

"Yes, you can. They trust you, and they have excellent judgment." Quasi said finally. Arianne smiled at the gargoyles.

"Well then, I thank them for their kind judgment." she said, and gave a small curtsy to them.

"You're really nice, Arianne, nothing like how Frollo described other people."

"You'd be surprised at how much my father hasn't taught you about people, Quasi."

"You mean they're worse than he says?" he asked fearfully. Arianne shook her head sadly.

"No, just the opposite really..."

"Really?" Quasi asked.

"Well, yeah." Arianne hopped up on the stone railing and looked over at the small ants that were the citizens of Paris. "There is cruelty, like father says, but there is also kindness and compassion."

"Wow." Quasi said, and sat down a few feet from her. "Well that's normal people at least. Not the Gypsies. I know they're evil, terrible creatures. That's true right?" Quasi said. Arianne sighed inwardly at how ignorant her father made this boy. She also remembered her father saying the same exact words to her. 'Sickening vermin that prey on the innocent and bathe in sin'. That was what he said, and at first she believed it. But, as years progressed, she grew to know better than to listen to her father's insults towards them. The worst crime she ever saw a Gypsy commit was when a child stole a but of bread from the baker and run off.

A poor, hungry child stealing crumbs.

How horrifying.

"Nope, Quasi. I swear, when you're finally able to go outside, I'm going to show you what life is really like. It's nothing like those horror stories father fills your head with."

"Oh..." Quasi said.

"Arianne, you are requested in the cathedral for confession. Quasimodo, it is time for your lesson." Said a voice behind them. The children turned to see Frollo looking calmly at them both, and Arianne gulped, hoping he hadn't heard what she said.

"Yes, father." she said, and hopped down from her seat and headed to the stairs. She waved to Quasi before descending them. "Until next time, Quasi." she called, and he said goodbye back before she was gone.

...

Back at home, Arianne sat near the fireplace and read a thick chapter book, slowly dozing off as the words began to lose sense. Slowly, she began to close her eyes.

"Arianne." Came her father's voice. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around in surprise. She saw her father, and the fire in the fireplace lit up his features oddly, making him look slightly disturbing.

"Yes, father?" she asked tiredly.

"Best you should retire for the night. Good night." he said. Arianne nodded and stood up and began to make her way to her room. "One more thing, child." Frollo said. Arianne stopped and looked back at him.

"Yes, father?" she asked, gripping her book.

"You'll not be seeing the hunchback any longer." he said. Arianne wanted to protest; she liked Quasimodo. But, she kept quiet, fearing the consequences for questioning her father.

"Yes, father." she said. Frollo looked amusedly from her saddened face to the book in her hands.

"A rather large book, my dear. Hopefully you aren't _filling your head with horror stories. _I wouldn't want you to lose sleep over such trivial things..._"_ he said, and Arianne began to shake as she left for her room.

...

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think. :D


	2. Puppet Show

Arianne walked out of the dress shop with Cilia right behind her, some bags of new clothes in hand. Arianne had hoped to get the tailor to make her some trousers, but Cilia would have none of that. So, they ended up leaving with four new dresses that she absolutely despised. They were nicely made, but didn't match her personality at all, not that is mattered. So long as her father approved of it, it was fine...

As soon as they stepped out, they were instantly surrounded by four guards that were ordered to watch over the Judge's daughter at all times, and to not allow anyone suspicious to walk up to her. Arianne found it embarrassing, and quite frankly hated it. She was being treated like a porcelain doll, when she most definitely was not one.

On their way to the large dark carriage, Arianne noticed some children a ways off pointing at her and whispering to each other. They laughed, and she felt her cheeks become hot. Had she been an emotional person, she would have cried, but she sucked it up and moved on and into the carriage.

"You'll look stunning in these, miss." Cilia said happily as the door closed and the carriage moved forward. Arianne hummed as a response and looked out the window. The guards now flanked the carriage on their horses, and they looked suspiciously at everyone who passed. As they rolled along, Cilia spoke of how many different pieces of jewelry would match her new dresses, and she just kept her eyes on the outside.

The outside; something that was almost foreign to her. She'd never just walked the streets, meeting people. It was either home, tailors, or Notre Dame. And she was never left unaccompanied. The guards were always there, and so was Cilia. Arianne loved the old caretaker, but she sometimes felt smothered by Cilia's care and attention. Oh, the life of the Judge's daughter...

While she thought, Arianne looked down a small rode they passed that lead to the front of la Notre Dame. In front was a small caravan she hadn't noticed before on her trips to the cathedral. Children surrounded it, and she could barely make out the form of a person inside the caravan. Her brow raised when she saw he was a Gypsy, performing what she saw to be a puppet show. Before she could discern anything else, the road was passed, and she saw now only shops and homes. She sighed and slouched in her seat, feeling depressed.

"What's the matter, miss?" Cilia asked some minutes later. Arianne went to answer, when a sudden jerk from the carriage nearly caused her to fall off her seat. She and Cilia paused, and both gasped as the carriage thunked down in the back right corner, resting it at an angle. The guards shouted and one ripped open the carriage door to help the ladies out of it.

"Are you ladies alright?" he asked as he set Arianne down on the cobble road. She felt odd, and a bit out of place in the middle of the street. Some peasants gathered around the carriage and whispered and pointed at Arianne.

"The Judge's daughter."

"Arianne."

"Is she alright?"

"Frollo will be furious..."

They said all this and more, and Arianne looked quickly at the carriage. The spokes of the wheel were bent, and the wheel snapped and bent out of place. Arianne raised a brow at it in wonder. Cilia was bickering with the driver, and the guards were busy either warning people to back off, or looking at the broken wheel.

She was unattended.

Arianne remembered the colorful caravan back at Notre Dame, and she slowly inched away from the excitement, not caring that the peasants were watching her. When she was far enough away, she ran off down the street towards the cathedral. On her way, she tripped and fell, scraping her elbow on the street. Passing people gasped lightly when they saw the bleeding wound, but Arianne barely noticed it. She stood up, and kept running until she finally turned down the road that lead to the cathedral. The caravan was still there, and was still surrounded by children. Arianne laughed with relief and lowered her speed to a jog, and she eventually began to walk.

When she reached the crowd of children, she stayed in the back, not wanting to attract their attention. She looked up at the opening of the colorful caravan and at the Gypsy who was telling stories with a small puppet that resembled himself. Arianne's eyes widened when she saw he was only some years older than she was, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. Her surprise was replaced by joy when he bonked the puppet he held with a stick, and it said 'Owie' loudly, making the children, including herself, laugh. She didn't care that Cilia was probably finding out that she was missing, nor did she care that she may suffer horribly later for her acts. Right now all she could do was focus on the little play being performed and the laughter she was experiencing.

"Alright, kids! That's that story. Do I have any requests?" the Gypsy boy said when the story ended. Some children called out odd names for stories that must have been his.

"The Lady and the Ox!"

"Mary's Talking Flower!"

"The Lion's Thorn!"

"Hey, that girl's arm is bleeding!" said a small boy next to Arianne. The Gypsy frowned in confusion.

"I've never heard of that story." he said lightly. The little boy shook his head and pointed at Arianne's arm.

"No, not a story. Her arm really is bleeding." he said. Arianne looked down at her elbow. It was only a scratch, and there was only a small amount of blood. Nothing to worry about.

"I-I'm fine, really-" she began to say, when another girl interrupted her.

"Hey, that's Judge Frollo's little girl." she said in a squeaky voice. The children gasped and backed away, making Arianne feel awkward.

"Yeah, so?" she asked quietly, and looked up at the Gypsy. "C-could you please tell another story?" she asked. The Gypsy studied her for a moment, then smiled.

"Come here, _petite fleur_." he said brightly. Arianne hesitated before walking forward towards him. When she reached the caravan, she looked up at him.

"Y-yes, sir?" she asked nervously. As a response, she was scooped up and seated on the little stage. The children gawked, and watched as the Gypsy wrapped a colorful bit of cloth around her elbow.

"We would not want your dear papa finding that this was not cared for even a little. This should help, eh?" he said kindly after tying the cloth into a little bow. Arianne gulped and nodded.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." she said.

"Hey, no calling me sir! I'm not old! I'm only fifteen, for Maria's sakes!" he said, and set her back down on the ground.

"Then what do I call you?" she asked. The Gypsy beamed and took off his purple hat to bow.

"I am Prince Trouillefou! Fear me!" he said loudly, and the children laughed. He frowned playfully at their reactions. "You dare laugh at the prince?"

"You're no prince, Clopin!" said a girl.

"Prince of Puppets, maybe!" said another. The Gypsy known as Clopin rubbed his chin, which was barely showing signs of a small beard, thoughtfully.

"The Prince of Puppets, eh? Sounds good enough to me!" he said, then lifted his little puppet in the air.

"You're no prince of mine!" it said in a tiny voice. Clopin hit it over the head with his stick again, and the children laughed, forgetting Arianne and returning their attention Clopin as he began another story.

When all was finally finished, Clopin ended the tales for the day, and the children dispersed, leaving only Arianne with him as he closed up his caravan and went to steer it away. She ran up to him dug into the small pocket on her dress. She pulled out her three remaining silver coins, and handed them to him. He blinked wildly before accepting them.

"_Tre genereux! _You have my undying gratitude!" he said, bowing low to her. When he stood again, she noticed he was only about a foot taller than she was.

"And you have mine. I've never seen anything like that, nor have I been around so many children. It was fun! Thank you!" she said. Clopin nodded and grinned at her.

"You are always welcome to my caravan, my dear!" he said, and bowed once again to her before steering his caravan away down the street. Arianne looked down at the cloth that wrapped her elbow and smiled before making her way back to the carriage.

Half way there, Arianne was stopped by guards, who escorted her the rest of the way. She really didn't care, as her mind wandered back to the stories and jokes Clopin told. She barely even noticed returning to the carriage, where another was waiting to bring her home, and Cilia's angry and relieved cries at the girl were no louder than a bee's buzzing wings.

When they reached home, Cilia kept bickering at her until they reached the door. Cilia opened it and lead her inside, then brought her to the kitchen, where she tended to Arianne's elbow.

"Very kind, the person is who did this." she said as she removed the cloth and set it on the table.

"His name is Clopin." Arianne said.

"If you ever see him again, remember to thank the good sir."

"I did, and he's not a sir. He's just a boy!" Arianne said. Cilia winked at her.

"Just a boy, hmm?" she said. Arianne frowned at the suggestive comment.

"Fifteen years old." she said. Cilia nodded as she took some ointment and a rag from the shelf.

"Well that's a shame. One can dream though, aye? A knight in shining armor rescuing the little princess. Was he cute, at least?" she asked.

"If I said 'yes', what would you say?" Arianne replied. Cilia smiled like a little girl.

"Ah, your first crush. So cute, Arianne. Where were you though? I was worried to death."

"Notre Dame."

"Notre Dame? What, did you go to pray for the carriage wheel's sakes?"

"No, Clopin was performing a puppet show right next to it."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, he's the Prince of Puppets."

"My, perhaps we could go and see one of his shows next time we are out, since you enjoyed it so much, hmm?"

"No, we can't." Arianne said, becoming a bit sad.

"Why not?"

"Clopin's a Gypsy, and father doesn't want me near any of them." she said. Cilia gasped.

"Oh, miss Arianne, why did you got there in the first place then?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, _why_ did you go there, child..." came a dangerously calm voice. Arianne's head shot up to see her father standing in the doorway. Her mind went numb instantly.

"Judge Frollo..." Cilia said quietly.

"Leave us, caretaker."

"Yes sir." she said quietly, and began to leave.

"And when I say leave, I mean leave this household. Your services are no longer necessary." he said. Celia flinched slightly, and nodded sadly.

"No!" Arianne yelled, not able to stop herself, and looked desperately at Cilia, who smiled sadly at her before leaving her alone with her father. Arianne shook her head. "Father, no, it wasn't her fault. I ran away-"

Frollo smacked her hard enough that she nearly toppled over. She leaned on the counter for support, tears in her eyes.

"You dare argue with me?" he asked coldly, then began to pace around her. "First, I'm informed that my daughter is missing, and then I'm told you were seen with Gypsy scum!"

"It was only a puppet show. There were other children!" she explained, earning another slap.

"Hold your tongue, girl! You are not the same as the other children. You are pure! Innocent! And I'll have you around people who are otherwise, especially Gypsies!" he yelled. Arianne began to cry, her hands covering her hurting face. Frollo knelt down and lifted her chin to make her face him. "I am only protecting you from the cruelties of the world. Your innocence makes you blind to the evils that Gypsies are guilty of. That Gypsy only meant to trick and play games with your mind! I am the only one you can trust in this harsh world of damnable evils." he finished softly. Arianne had enough of his accusations, and she looked defiantly back at him.

"You're the one who's blind, father. Your close-minded views are corrupting you, can't you see that? It was just a puppet show!" she said loudly, and sobbed louder as she awaited the beating of a lifetime.

"I see he has poisoned your mind already." Frollo said gently, and stood up. "You are in need of a 'cleansing'. You will wait in your room for me. Until then you are ordered to pray the the Lord God for His mercy and forgiveness. You are never to see that Gypsy puppeteer again." he said. Arianne stood shakily, and began to walk for the door, on her way out, she snuck the cloth Clopin gave her off of the counter.

When she reached her room, she walked to her bed and knelt down at the edge. Still holding the colorful cloth, she began to pray.

Some minutes later, she heard the door open then close behind her. She hid the scarf under the blankets before facing her father. She looked at the whip he held in his hands, and went numb.

"Have you prayed, child?" he asked seriously.

"Yes, father." she said.

"The lashes will be even more painful than normal; we can only take extra precaution to rid you of the evil that the Gypsy placed in your soul."

"Yes, father."

Arianne closed her eyes as the lashing began, hoping that her prayer to God for Cilia and Clopin's good health reached Him.


	3. Memorium

"Miss, do not fidget so much."

"I can't help it; you're so rough."

"If you'd do as I'd say, perhaps I wouldn't be so short with you."

"Cilia was much kinder..."

"I am not Cilia."

"Obviously."

Arianne watched as the thin woman took a deep breath before continuing to button up the back of her dress. It had been a week since Cilia was fired, and also since Arianne was lashed for running off and watching the puppet show. This new caretaker, Marice, was a thin, middle aged woman who's lips were always pursed and always stood straight as a board. She looked to be made of wood sometimes, if caught in the right lighting. Her temper was a short one, and she never seemed pleased with anything.

_And _she was a righteous follower of God and despised Gypsies, so, in other words, Frollo approved of her.

So Arianne was stuck with her.

Whenever they would take trips, Marice's bony hand would be wrapped tightly around the girl's arm every second, sometimes leaving light bruises on her wrist. It was like prison with this woman, and she couldn't stand it.

That day as they passed the Notre Dame cathedral, Arianne noticed the same colorful caravan that was there the week before. She slowed her walking to look over at the crowd of children as they watched Clopin tell another tale to them using a lion puppet and a mouse puppet. He noticed her as he performed, and smiled widely and waved for her to come over. Arianne instantly obeyed, and tried to walk over to see his next performance. Marice caught what she was doing and she grabbed the girl's arm and yanked her painfully away, then smacked her upside the head once.

"Stupid child! You do not speak with those filthy rats of the streets! Blasphemous!" she scolded, and dragged her away. Arianne looked back at Clopin as she rubbed where Marice hit her, and noticed his expression was a little more than agitated. She smiled and waved goodbye to him before she was lead around a corner.

"Honestly, I don't understand why the archdeacon allows such trash to litter the steps of Notre Dame." Marice said as they sat down outside a small cafe. She ordered some coffee straight while Arianne only wanted water. It had been a long day, and water was much preferred compared to hot coffee. Of course, water wasn't good enough for Marice, so Arianne ended up having to order weak tea.

"Perhaps he doesn't care about their differences, and sees them as much God's children as we are." she replied to Marice's remark. Marice hmphed.

"Well, then it would seem he is going senile and needs to be replaced. Your father would do wonders for the church." Marice said, with an odd twinge of affection. Arianne blanched, and wrinkled her nose.

"N-no, I think he's doing just enough where he is currently..." she said bitterly, and sipped her tea. She heard a small laugh from above, and looked up to the roof. A flash of purple crossed her eyes, and she half believed the heat of the day was getting to her. She looked down again, and noticed two new shadows on the ground. One was in the shape of a lion, and the other was in the shape of a mouse. She watched, shocked, as the mouse hit the Lion over the head with a stick, and she giggled.

Arianne then noticed Marice look to her and she cast her eyes away from the ground and to something else. Marice kept her eyes on the girl for a moment before speaking with a woman next to her about trivial things. Arianne looked slowly back down to the ground, and she saw as the lion and the mouse shadows seemed to peek over the shadow of the building to see if the coast was clear. They disappeared again, and were replaced by two other shadows, one that resembled a little girl, and one that surprisingly resembled Frollo. The Frollo one looked to be bullying the little girl, and Arianne frowned. The girl disappeared for a moment, then returned with a stick, then promptly began to hit Frollo with it. He ran off, and Arianne laughed loudly.

"What ever is the matter, you silly girl?" Marice asked in agitation.

"Oh, nothing." Arianne said, still glancing at the shadows.

"Oh, really? Well let me tell you, young lady, that laughing for no reason..."

Marice continued her rant, and Arianne kept her gaze downcast. Now there was only one shadow, and they mocked everything Marice said to Arianne, making exaggerated movements that matched the woman's words. When Arianne laughed again, Marice huffed and stood.

"If you'll not take me seriously, then we had best return you home, miss. I'll pay the keeper, and we'll be on our way." she said, and walked inside the shop. Arianne took this time to quickly retrieve two silver coins from her purse and toss them up to the roof. She saw a gloved hand reach out and snatch the coins from the air, and she giggled in amusement. Then, a daisy fell from the roof and landed on her hair. She took it, and tucked it in her ear before Marice walked back outside, still agitated. "Let's go, miss. You have bible study at half past noon."

"Thank you." Arianne said a little loudly. Marice sputtered.

"For what?" she asked.

"For what you did. I feel much better now." Arianne said, and began to walk to the carriage that awaited them a block away. Marice blinked, then walked after her. As she stepped towards Arianne, she heard a light voice from above.

"Lighten up, mam'zelle..." it said, and Marice spun around to look into the air, Nothing was there. Her gaze went to the cathedral, which she was able to see the top of from behind the buildings, and she placed her hand over her heart.

"Angels above me..." she whispered.

"Marice, are you coming or not?" Arianne called from far away. Marice snapped out of it and walked quickly to the awaiting girl.

Clopin watched the two leave from the roof, and smiled. "Nothing like messing with some crazy old bat's head..." he said, and looked down at the five silver coins he had collected from Arianne. "Nice girl. Too bad she's saddled with that sod Frollo..." He eventually shrugged, knowing that even though her family life was most possibly difficult, she was still much more fortunate than most of the citizens of Paris. "She pays well, in the very least." he said, and disappeared, thinking about the new act he would perform for the children the next time he was above ground.

...

Arianne sat on her large bed and fiddled with the now wilting daisy that was given to her.

"I wish I was a Gypsy..." she whispered, then quickly looked around on instinct to see whether anyone heard her words. No one was there, and she relaxed, then went back to staring at the flower.

"Mama loved these..." she said after some minutes. Her thoughts drifted from the colorful Gypsy to her mother then, and a hint of sadness showed on her young face. Her mother to her was the epitome of beauty, and she loved daisies, since they complimented the woman's fair skin to wonderfully. She was stern, and was often hard on her little daughter, always scolding her and keeping her in line. But she was also loving, and thought the world of Arianne.

Arianne; purest innocence. The little girl smirked darkly, knowing she would never live up to the name her father had given her. Her father. Arianne's eyes narrowed as she remembered what her mother had said to her about Frollo, being forced to marry him strictly for the financial aid her family would receive, and how the only truly good thing he'd done for her was bless her life with her little girl. Arianne still didn't know why her mother confided in her like that. Perhaps she thought that since Arianne was so young, she wouldn't understand. She was wrong, of course, but who was Arianne to judge? The woman needed someone to talk to, being cooped up in the house all day by Frollo's orders. He treated her like a prized object, and really nothing else. He treated Arianne the same way, only he'd become ever more careful with her since her mother died when she was five.

Her mother had suddenly fallen terribly ill, which was odd, because she never showed any signs of being even just a little sick. Arianne had woken up one day and walked to her parent's room as she usually did. Her mother was there, alone, as always. Something was off though. Her fair kin had turned pasty, and her eyes were sunken. Arianne didn't understand it. Just the day before, her mother was doing perfectly fine, and now this. She didn't live much longer after that. Only some long weeks of her coughing and puking everything she tried to eat. Arianne felt a sickening release when her mother was finally put to rest. She wouldn't have to see the woman she idolized so much in that terrible state any more. When she went to comfort her father at the funeral, she noticed that his sad facial features did not match his brown eyes. His eyes were full of nothing. No sadness, no sympathy. Simply a hint of boredom that he hid behind a well practiced mask...

Arianne noticed her hands were in fists, and she looked back down at the daisy. It was crushed, and she instantly felt guilty. She placed the crumpled little think on the night desk next to her before allowing herself to think of her father again.

After the funeral, he had patted her on the head and pet her hair reassuredly, claiming that it was God's will that brought her mother to her end, and sent her to Heaven's light. When she asked why he had to take her so early and so painfully, Frollo only gave a thin smile and told her that perhaps she had to pay for a grave sin that she committed, and that if Arianne wanted not to suffer like her mother, she would do well to stay on the path of purity.

Purest innocence.

Arianne sighed and lay on her bed. "Purest innocence indeed. Me, who suspected my father of murder when I was only five..." she muttered. True, she had been quite suspicious with her father. Though, as the years progressed, she figured she'd not be able to do anything about it anyway if she ever did find him guilty of the crimes she suspected him of...

"Mother, I hope you're doing alright. It'd be nice if you could send me some of your wisdom..." she said quietly. Nothing replied, as always, and Arianne closed her eyes.

...

"You seem off, child."

"I'm fine, father. I'm just thinking about mother."

Frollo looked over his wine glass to his daughter. It was supper time, and they sat at the large dining table.

"It's not wise to keep you mind in the past..." he said gravely. Arianne nodded.

"I just wish she were here sometimes. Don't you?" she asked, and looked him dead in the face. Frollo's eyes hooded, and he nodded.

"Not a day goes by without my mind wandering to the image of your mother. Indeed, she is missed, but we must keep our heads out of the clouds, and must make sure silly wishes like these do not cloud our reality. Do you see?"

"Yes, I suppose, father." Arianne said, and took a small bite from her food. His eyes were not ones sympathetic, as she suspected.

Only bored...

...

"Oh, please, Marice, it's not like they'll kill me..." Arianne said to her caretaker the next day. They were on their way to morning mass at the cathedral, and Arianne had requested they stop. When they did so , Arianne opened the door and stepped outside, then walked over to some small Gypsy children who were playing tambourines for money. She dropped a silver coin in the hat by their feet and she smiled at them. They looked back at her in slight fear, but smiled to her when they found she meant no harm.

"T-thank you, miss Frollo." a boy said, and bowed.

"You play wonderfully. I wish you good fortune should you choose music as a career path." Arianne said, and walked back to the carriage. Marice harumphed at her remark.

"'Career', indeed." she said, but shut up when the children began to play again, with even more enthusiasm then before. Arianne closed the door of the carriage and it the ride began once again. "That was a waste of money on your part, miss." she said after a moment.

"Giving people money for working hard is one investment that I do not find to be a waste, Marice. I've never lived on the streets, so I don't know a thing about the hardships they face on a daily basis. That bit of money I gave them might not even be enough to feed their entire family, but I hope it at least does something."

"What if your father heard about this?" Marice asked.

"What if? I'm too innocent to see the evil that lies within their hearts anyway, so he may just overlook it as ignorance, or something along those lines. Either way, showing compassion shouldn't be something to be punished over..."

"I must disagree."

"We have our opinions, Marice. I accept yours, so please at least ignore mine..." Arianne said, and fell silent. Marice's cheek flushed slightly at the comment, but she kept quiet. There was just no reasoning with the Judge's daughter.


	4. Trouble

When Arianne exited the cathedral, she felt very tired. Though she respected God very much, she couldn't help but feel sleepy when she listened as the bible was read aloud to her. The dullness of mass was excruciating...

Arianne eyes snapped open when she saw the caravan of Clopin parked a little ways off. Children bored from mass ran quickly over to it for some laughs, and Arianne longed to join them. She looked over to Marice, who was speaking with the archdeacon, and Arianne decided that it wouldn't hurt to move over to the caravan, since she would still be in eyeshot of the caretaker.

So she walked quickly to join the other children in front, and noticed when she reached there, Clopin was nowhere to be found, and the stage was closed.

"He'll show up any moment. He never misses church days." A little boy said to her when he saw her look of confusion. She nodded, and looked around, then found that the boy was right because there was Clopin, walking over with a devilish smile on his handsome face. Arianne noticed two other persons next to him. They were Gypsies, taller than Clopin, just a little less scrawny, and looked to be middle aged. One's black hair was pulled into a short pony tale, and he shared the same smile that Clopin had. Arianne cocked her head and noticed he shared a lot of Clopin's features. The other looked nothing like Clopin, and wasn't smiling at all.

"Ah, if it isn't you!" Clopin said loudly to her when he reached the caravan. The children cheered, happy that he was finally there. The Gypsy that looked like him smiled with, what Arianne ruled out to be, a small hint of pride. The other looked agitated, seeing all these children. Clopin removed his hat and bowed to the children, but straightened up with a mournful look on his face.

"I must apologize, my little fans, but I have only come to say that I will regrettably be unable to perform for you today!" he said. The children's faces fell almost instantly.

"Aww.."

"That's too bad.."

"Not fair!"

Clopin smiled reassuredly at them and their comments. "No worries! Tomorrow I shall definitely be present, and will give you the best performance possible!" he said. The children's smiles returned a little bit, and they slowly began to disperse with hopes for tomorrows performance fresh in their minds. Arianne stayed, and walked up to Clopin. She pointed to the man that looked like him to him, who seemed to notice her for the first time.

"Who is this, Clopin? A relative?" she asked. Clopin nodded his head vigorously, and patted the other Gypsy on the back.

"This, _ma fleur_, is my papa! He was curious to see what I have been doing for money." he said. Arianne nodded, and gave the Gypsy a small curtsy.

"Nice to meet you. Your son is very talented." she said when she looked back up at him.

"Er, yes..." the Gypsy said uncertainly. Arianne saw the look of unease on his face as he studied her, and she sighed.

"I'm not like my father, sir." she said. "And I would like for you to not judge me based on my heritage, just like I do not judge your people based on their heritage." she said in a very serious tone. Clopin smirked at his father, who gawked back at Arianne before laughing heartily.

"You're a firecracker, miss!" he said, and bowed to her. "Wonderful to meet you! Cyrano Trouillefou, at your service!"

"And this is some other guy who's name I cannot recall at the moment!" Clopin said, pointing to the other Gypsy, who's eyes were narrowed at her.

"Not that I would want to give my name to the brat of the Judge." he said coldly. Arianne frowned, and Clopin smacked the Gypsy's shoulder.

"What is your problem?" he asked.

"Perhaps he is so caught up in stereotypes that his sense of judgment has been completely warped, leaving him just as hopeless and ignorant as the next Parisian who cringes at every Gypsy they see..." Arianne said. Cyrano whistled at her remark, and the nameless Gypsy fumed. He reached over and picked her up by her collar, bringing her eye level to him.

"You speak very smartly, little one. Perhaps the result of growing up spoiled rotten. Probably never even been spanked, eh?" he asked angrily. Arianne became very angry at this.

"I'll have you know that I share just as many scars on my back as the next Gypsy, good sir!" she said loudly, taking the Gypsy holding her and the other to aback. She huffed. "Now, I advise that you set me down. Rude, you may be, but I never like to see anybody going to jail for only an act of stupidity!" she said. This comment brought the Gypsy back from his daze, and he tightened his grip on her collar.

"Calling me stupid now?" he asked. Clopin placed his hand on his arm, a look of warning on his face.

"I promise you, my friend. If you don't set her down nicely, it won't be the guards you'll need to worry about..." he said with a serious tone Arianne never heard from him before. The Gypsy looked at Clopin reproachfully.

"Taking the side of them, are you?" he asked. Clopin waggled his finger at him.

"Nope! Just taking the sensible side, of all things. See, I'd rather not have my neck stretched just because you got caught bullying the Judge's daughter!"

"Guards! Those Gypsies are attacking the Judge's daughter!" Arianne then heard Marice screech. Clopin sighed and palmed his own forehead.

"Maria, why did I open my mouth?" he asked.

"Put her down, Phillip, now!" Cyrano barked. The Gypsy who held her, Philip, followed Cyrano's orders, and dropped her to the ground. Clopin smiled at Arianne.

"Run along now, I don't want you to get in the middle of this nonsense." he said kindly. Arianne didn't want to, but the hint pf worry in Clopin's black eyes made her move backward, and away from them. Marice grabbed her and held her tightly as she watched the guards circle Clopin and the others.

"Trying to start a war, are you, Gypsy scum?" one guard said.

"Awful stupid to mess with the Judge's daughter like that..." another said.

"Now, now!" Clopin said with a weak smile. "I must apologize for my friend here. You see, he's an idiot-"

"Shut up!" a guard snapped.

"I can do that." Clopin replied quickly. Arianne was about to protest with the guards, when she saw a figure on a black horse ride up to the scene. It was her father, and she felt a stone drop in her stomach. The faces oof the Gypsies showed that they felt the same thing she was feeling at the moment, perhaps intensified.

"Gypsies?" Frollo said boredly. "What did they steal _this _time?"

"Nothing that we know of yet sir." said one guard. "But they were attacking your daughter, sir." he finished. Frollo's eyes widened and his gaze found Arianne, who was instantly frightened for the Gypies' lives. Frollo turned back to the Gypsies.

"It seems," he said loudly, with ice in his words, "That it has become so unsafe in Paris that our own children cannot even attend church without being viciously preyed upon by the Gypsy vermin that plague our streets!" Cries of fear and outrage came from the crowd of people that had gathered. "Will we, the innocents of Paris allow for this?" he asked. A collective 'NO' was heard, and Arianne had to bite back the tears.

Frollo looked back at the Gypsies, who knew they were in trouble. "Guards, take them in! They will be punished accordingly for their actions!" he yelled. The guards moved forwards. Clopin and Cyrano did nothing, accepting that they would be locked up for a while. Philip was not so cooperative, however, and drew a dagger from his boot as a guard grabbed him, then sliced the guard's throat. As he fell, Philip snatched the guard's sword and began attacking the other ones. The citizens screamed and ran in fear, and Clopin and Cyrano stared dumbstruck at Philip's stupidity as he slashed and thrusted at the guards.

Marice was running away, Arianne's hand gripped firmly in her own. Arianne tried to fight her grip, wanting to make sure Clopin wasn't hurt. She watched the scene as she struggled with Marice. Clopin and Cyrano angrily helped Philip when the guards nearly subdued him, using much gentler methods than he did to make them back off. A kick here, and a well placed punch there, that was all they used. Philip still waved the sword dangerously, and nearly nicked Clopin in the process, causing him to shout a string of curses at his comrade.

Arianne noticed Philip beginning to lose it, as his swings became more barbaric. He was barely even paying attention to the fact that they needed to get away. He was hungry for blood, and this was like a full course meal. Clopin and Cyrano noticed this, and wary expression filled their faces.

Arianne saw a guard sneak up on Clopin, and she couldn't help but shout, "Look out!" He heard her, and spun around quickly, smashing the guard's face his fist. He looked to Arianne once with a hint of thanks, then resumed fighting.

"We need to go now!" Cyrano yelled when most of the guards had fallen. Clopin tried to grab Philip, but he shoved him away.

"You fool!" Clopin said angrily when he stood.

"Call me what you wish!" Philip shouted. Some guards tried to advance, but Philip gnashed his teeth and lifted the sword again, daring them to come closer. They halted, wary of him.

"Damned Gypsy vermin!" Frollo called out from a ways off.

"Fuck you, Frollo, and your little whore daughter!" Philip said, making even Arianne gasp.

"Savages..." Marice said angrily., and she tightened her grip on Arianne, who was staring in horror at Philip. She saw an old man walk forward from behind a crate and to Philip from behind.

"Listen, son. I think you've done eno-" he began when he got closer, but was cut off when Philip jumped in surprise and spun around, slashing the old man's throat. He fell to the ground, dead. The sad and horrified scream of an old woman was heard, and Philip stared at the body in shock. He dropped the sword. Clopin and Cyrano were as shocked as he was, and stopped moving. The guards took the opportunity to subdue them, and they were in shackles within moments, not that they really noticed. Their eyes were still glued to what Philip had done, sadness and regret etched on their faces.

Marice leaned down and whispered sadly in Arianne's ear. "You see what your father and I have been telling you? They are evil, evil creatures, with only trickery, deceit, and murder on their minds. This is what Gypsies do, miss Arianne."

Arianne barely heard what her caretaker was saying. Tears filled the girls eyes, as she realized it was her fault this all happened. If she had only stayed with Marice, and not gone to the caravan, none of this would have happened...

"You see here what these creatures have done! With no mercy, one has slain a poor innocent, who's only wish was to end this feud!" Frollo yelled. The crowd murmured in dark consent. "These Gypsies shall pay justly for their crimes!" he went on, and pointed an accusing finger at the three Gypsies as they were hauled in a prisoner's carriage to be taken to the palace of justice. "Tomorrow morning, hey shall receive the ultimate sentence! _Death_!"

A cry of agreement from the crowd, and a sob of grief from Arianne. It was her fault they gotten in trouble, and now it would be her fault they would die. Their blood was on her hands.

"I can't believe it..." she cried softly. Marice stroked Arianne's hair.

"Yes, I know. They are cruel beings. But, don't fret, miss; they will soon be punished."

"Oh, no.." Arianne said.

"Oh, yes, miss. And if Frollo has any sense, which he does, he'll have them tortured for good measure before hand."

"Shut up!" Arianne couldn't take it, and she gripped her hair. Marice sighed, and picked her up bridal style.

"You are tired, and going through shock from that horrible display. I'll allow your harsh words this once..." she said. Just then, Frollo rode up to them both. Marice nodded her head at him, while Arianne hid her face.

"Give me the girl." he said. Marice hesitated, but did as she was told, and lifted Arianne to be taken by her father. He sat her in front of him, and took her hands from her face. "Were you harmed, child?" he asked. Arianne bit back her sob and shook her head.

"No, father." she squeaked. Frollo pet her hair once, then looked down to Marice.

"You may leave for home. I'll be taking her with me to the Palace of Justice." he said.

"Yes, sir." Marice said, and quickly walked away. Frollo set his horse to a trot, and they headed for the Palace of Justice. Arianne looked up at him.

"Why are you taking me there?" she asked. Frollo gave a thin smile.

"Those vermin attacked you, my dear. I thought you might enjoy watching their punishment." he said coolly. Arianne swallowed, and looked down, her eyes widened. So this would be her punishment. No whips, no scolding. Just watching as her friend was harmed terribly. She wanted to cry, but didn't have the energy. All she could do was sit there as her father took her to the Palace of Justice.


	5. Loss

They never entered the palace itself, but went to a side door that looked like it lead to a cellar. What it really lead to though was the dungeons. It was dark in the dungeons, the only light being a few torches and some small windows that a child could barely fit through. Frollo's hand remained on Arianne's shoulder as he lead her to where the Gypsies were being held. Sometimes she would jump whenever a rat raced across the floor, or groans of pain came from cells that she thought to be empty.

When they reached where the Gypsies were held, Arianne instantly saw Clopin. He was shackled to the wall, along with his father and Philip. There were fresh bruises on his face, and a tooth lied next to him. He seemed to be knocked out. Cyrano's hair was down, and there were cuts on his chest. Philip was dealt with even worse, and his face was barely even recognizable from the blood and welts. Arianne gulped.

"Judge Frollo." said a man wearing a very plain tunic and gloves. He was sharpening a small blade that was attacked, with many others, to the end of a whip.

"Good afternoon. I hope you've had fun dealing with these mongrels." Frollo said lightly, like they weren't currently in a torture room, rather a tea shop...

"Aye, only jus' been warming up. Have you come to witness?" the man said. Frollo nodded once.

"As has my daughter, the one they attacked initially. I thought she should like to watch their punishment, and learn exactly how criminals are dealt with." he said. The man raised a brow and glanced at Arianne.

"Are you sure, Judge, that she should see this?" he asked.

"Yes, I approve of it. In order to protect her innocence, she must understand the harshness of the world, and how it is dealt with in order to keep something like innocence alive." Frollo said. The man gave Arianne one last look, then shrugged. Who was h to question his boss?

"You sickening bastard..." came a voice. Arianne looked over to see Cyrano, and he was glaring hatefully at Frollo. "You would subject your own child, so young, to this horror? Have you any idea what that can do do a child's mind?!" he shouted. Frollo smirked at him.

"You, a Gypsy mongrel, judging me? It's laughable. You, who probably had your whelp picking pockets as soon as he could walk."

"You disgust me." Cyrano said, then looked to Arianne. "I am sorry you will be forced to see this, _petite fleur. _Forgive me." he said gently. Arianne's eyes filled with tears, and they fell down her face. Cyrano smiled weakly. "Don't fret, crying is unsuitable for a young lady..."

Arianne wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Oh, look, I'm still here..." Clopin mumbled, and sat up, dazed. "So, I guess I'm ready for round two..." he said, then gawked when he saw Arianne. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"Frollo's making her watch..." Cyrano said dully. Fire sparked in Clopin's eyes, and he looked at Frollo with rage.

"Scumbag..." he spat.

"He's just twisting her to be like him. He'll succeed. I know it..." Philip muttered. "Just another toy of a mind for Frollo to twist and play with until he's bored out of his skull..."

"Shut it, Gypsy!" the man with the tools said loudly. Philip only smirked.

"Or what? You've already removed enough of my teeth to where the rest really aren't even useful, and my fingernails are gone. Maybe you can start with the fingers themselves, eh..." he said, then broke down in tears. "All th-this over a fucking brat..." he said. Arianne shook her head at the broken, crying man.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she said. Frollo patted her on the head.

"Don't apologize. They're only trying to trick you, my dear, with their witchcraft and sorcery..."

"You've not anything to apologize for, _petite fleur._ We Gypsies get into this mess all the time." Clopin said with a smile. Arianne only shook her head in despair.

"Enough talk." Frollo said finally, and snapped his fingers. The man with the tools was up instantly, and took a whip that broke into small strands at the end from the wall. He walked over to the men and Arianne watched as they set their jaws and looked defiantly at him.

Arianne flinched when the whip first cracked, and she felt something inside her break.

...

She was shaking when it was all done, and the Gypsies hung limply from the wall, unconscious. Whenever she tried to look away, her father would force her to look again. Clopin and Cyrano had tried their best not to cry out, for Arianne's and their pride's sakes. Philip, however, screamed until his voice gave out.

"There, I think that is enough for today." Frollo said. The man who had tortured them looked at him.

"Then I should place them in their cells then?" he asked. Frollo shook his head.

"I meant my daughter. She's seen enough. Your job with them won't be finished until tomorrow morning." he said. The man nodded, then gave a worried glance to Arianne, who was very pale.

"Might want to get her to lie down." he said, then turned back to his tools. Arianne was staring at the bloody bodies of the Gypsies, horrified. There would really be more? What else could this man possibly do to these poor people...

She clenched her fists. She couldn't allow this to happen. These men didn't deserve what was being so harshly given to him. Her father, drunk with power and madness had done this, and she wouldn't stand for it. Taking a deep breath, she formulated a plan.

She looked up to Frollo, an expression of fear on her face. "Please father, can't you please show some mercy to these men?" she asked, gripping his robes with a trembling hand. "They will have their punishment tomorrow. Please, let them have just a few hours of peace." Frollo studied her for many long moments, before sighing and nodding.

"It is this very innocence in you that I have sworn to protect, my dear. It is good that you are merciful, but why you would waste it on these vile things is beyond me. I will grant your wish, just this once." he said.

"Thank you, father." Arianne said. He nodded and ordered the man to place them in their cells for the night. The man nodded, and took a ring of keys from the wall. Arianne noted it, and glued it to her memory.

She and Frollo then left, and rode his horse home. She was thankful that she lived just a few streets away from the Palace of Justice. It was dark when they reached home, and she went straight to her room, saying that she was feeling too tired to eat supper. Once inside, she went to her closet and found one of her old plain dresses. He took it out, then quickly changed into it. She then took one of her cloaks and put that on as well.

After locking her bedroom door, she opened her window and climbed out, being careful not to make any noise. Once outside, she ran down the lawn and through the gate, then headed toward the Palace of Justice.

...

When she finally reached the palace, she squeezed through the locked gate and ran down the path to the building. She went straight to the side entrance. Seeing that it wasn't locked, she figured that the man who dealt with the torturing was still present. She sighed, and quietly opened the door quietly.

It was even darker now that the dim light of the day didn't shine through the small windows and aid the torches. Arianne was determined to keep her wits about her though, and she moved on. Once at the bottom, she searched all of the cells, not finding any of the Gypsies. She frowned, and kept looking until she reached the entrance to the torture room. She didn't even glance at it as she passed by, knowing that her father had ordered them to be placed in cells for the rest of the night.

The crack of a whip and a grunt of pain from the room caught her attention, and she froze.

'No, he said he wouldn't...' she thought, dread filling her stomach. She inched to the entrance an peeked inside. There they were, the Gypsies, still shackled to the wall, being hit by a whip held by the man from earlier. She saw the end of the whip, and gasped. It was the one with blades at the end, and blood coated each one. She suddenly felt sick, and was thankful that she didn't eat supper, else the contents may have now been on the floor.

Shaking her head, she set her mind on how she would deal with the man. He was facing away from her, and didn't seem to interested in turning around. She observed the area, trying to find something that she could use against him. She searched the tools on the shelf, and found a large pair of pliers. Carefully, she stepped to the shelf, and took the pliers down. They were heavy, but light enough to swing. She saw the end of them, and noticed the blood coating the grooves of it. Swallowing hard, she stepped toward the man quietly.

"Y'know, I'da given you the night off b'fore the big day tomorrow, but Frollo said no. Shame for that girl, she musta really liked you to want to give you some peace. Dunno why, with you being just some Gypsies..."

"Shut up and do your job..." Cyrano said quietly. His voice was ragged, and his breathing labored. The man with the whip shrugged and went back to whipping them. He hit Clopin, and the boy's face turned red from him trying not to yell. He glanced up, and froze when his eyes locked with Arianne's. She lifted her free hand to her mouth to shush him, and she stepped closer to the man.

Clopin dropped his head in disbelief. The Frollo girl was attempting to save him. Knowing she would fail anyway, he raised his head to make her presence known to the torturer. He stopped when he heard a loud thunk, and watched as the man fell to the floor, unconscious. Arianne stepped over him and looked at the three Gypsies, the wrench still in hand.

"You guys okay?" she asked. Cyrano and Clopin exchanged glances.

"Uhm...we're alive..." Clopin said. Arianne nodded and dropped the wrench, then ran to retrieve the keys from the hook on the wall. She took them, then walked back to Clopin. It took her some moments to find the right key, but she found it, and quickly released him. She then moved to Cyrano and began releasing him.

"I can't believe he did that. He said he'd let you rest..." she said bitterly.

"Well, your papa isn't exactly the truthful type..." Clopin replied. Cyrano was free, and Arianne moved to release Philip. He flinched back from her before she reached him, and he spat at her.

"It's just a damned trap...they have some pyres waiting for us out there, don't they? You're playing with our heads!" he shouted. Cyrano cursed at him and demanded that he be quiet. Philip only sneered at him. "We're all going to die anyway, I need not take any more orders from you, my King!" he said. Arianne blinked, then looked up to Cyrano.

"King?" she asked. He shook his head and ended the subject.

"Leave him there. He's lost his mind." he said instead. "We must leave this place."

"Guards! Guards! The prisoners are escaping!" Came a shout. Arianne jumped and looked to see the man had woken up, and he was hysterical. He looked back at her, and pointed a finger at her. "Y-you traitorous brat! How can y-"

He wasn't able to finish, as Cyrano had taken a blade from the table and slit his throat. He slumped back to the floor, twitching. Cyrano turned to Arianne and bowed his head.

"I apologize for that, miss." he said.

"I'm okay..." she lied. In the distance, they heard the clanging of armor and angry shouts. Clopin cursed and took Arianne's hand in his. "I hadn't planned on him alerting the guards..." she said sadly. He gave a slightly bloody smile.

"Hey, we hadn't planned on a little girl saving our hides, so your not the only one with things not going according to plan tonight."

"I know a way. Come with me quickly." Cyrano said, and grabbed a larger blade from the shelves as a weapon. He moved to the hall, but instead of going towards the exit, he went to one of the cells. He kicked the door open, cursed from the pain, then walked inside.

"Uh, papa, I think we're trying to escape, not pick a new place to be killed." Clopin said. He was leaning a little on Arianne. She didn't blame him, and sh glanced once at his bloodied chest and back.

"Quiet, fool. This is a way out. Come, now! You two will leave first." he said, and kicked away some hay to reveal a large slab of stone. He knelt down and picked the slab up by the edge, revealing a large hole. He pointed down. "Clopin, go. I'll hand the girl to you." he said. Clopin limped over and hopped down. Arianne heard a thump, and a painful groan.

"That hurt..." she heard him say from below. Cyrano shook his head and took Arianne. Before he handed her down, he smiled widely at her.

"Thank you for saving my son. Childish he may be, and stupid sometimes, he means a great deal to me. You gave him another chance at life." he said, and hugged her. She hugged him back, slightly confused with his tone. He handed her down to Clopin, who nearly dropped her, and looked down.

"Let's go, papa! They're almost here!" Clopin called up to him. Cyrano shook his head.

"I need to keep them at bay while you run. Return the girl home, and go back to the Court!" he said back. Clopin's eyes widened in shock at the statement.

"I can't leave you! The Court needs it's King! What will we do?!" he asked angrily. Arianne didn't know whether it was emotion or just the hours of yelling in pain that made his voice crack. All she knew was that tears were filling her eyes. Cyrano removed a gold ring from his finger and dropped it down to Clopin, who caught it and looked at it incredulously.

"Stolen from the Queen herself when I was just a lad. Take care of it, son." he said, and grinned widely and shouted "Long live the king!", before sliding the slab back over the hole, leaving them both in total darkness. They heard shouting, and fighting not only a moment later. Then silence.

"Find the other one! He's missing!" came a muffled order.

"This one's still breathing!" came another.

"Just kill the pitiful thing. He'll be dead within the hour anyway!"

Arianne listened to them speak, tears falling down her face. She failed again, and now two were dead. She couldn't stop the sobs, and she covered her mouth to silence them. Clopin squeezed her shoulder once.

"Has your vision adjusted, _fleur_?" he asked quietly, and Arianne could tell he was also crying, though not hardly as much as she was. She nodded her head.

"Y-yes." she said. He nodded in return and took her hand in his, then lead her through the narrow passage. When they reached the end, there was another large slab blocking them. He pushed it, then flinched slightly in pain. He ignored it, and continued pushing. It finally fell, and they stepped out into the cool night air. They looked around and noticed they were in the back of the Palace, in a secluded area hidden by trees. Clopin lifted the slab again, and Arianne helped him push it back into place. After that, they walked swiftly through the trees and to the streets of Paris, staying hidden in the shadows.

"Alright, let's get you home." Clopin said. He had stopped crying, but his face was still filled with sadness and anger.

"You should really get to your Court, Clopin, whatever that is. I can make it home from here."

"Nonsense. I'll not go against my father's wishes and disgrace myself. Besides, I owe you this much at the very least..."

"You don't owe me anything, Clopin!" Arianne hissed at him. "It was my presence that got you all in trouble in the first place, and because of me, your friend and father are gone! I couldn't even save you properly!" she wiped her eyes of the tears, and Clopin knelt down to her. He ruffled her hair.

"You are so young, and the daughter of Judge Claude Frollo, no less! Even still, you risked your skin to save my father and myself, and, because my family's particular position in our people's eyes, that is a big, big thing to do. You will always have my debt, Arianne, okay?" he said. Arianne looked at him with wide eyes.

"Was your father really a King, Clopin?" she asked. He smiled sadly, and stood.

"Not the kind that comes to your mind, with the luxury and pretty baubles. He was our leader, and kept us in check." he said ash he lead her down the dark road.

"So, do you have a big brother?" she asked. "To take over his position? Or is that how you choose leaders?" she asked.

"To be Gypsy royalty, you must be born into it, and I have no older siblings. No living ones anyway." he said.

"So, who's going to take over?" she asked. Clopin raised a brow at her.

"I will, of course!"

"But, you're so young. And you're so childish, and silly." she said. "I've never seen you as the king type." she said. Clopin chuckled.

"Well, I'll have plenty of practice. I'm only fifteen, after all." he said. The two walked the rest of the way in silence, and Clopin quietly brought her to her bedroom window. He helped her inside, and he bowed once. "I, Clopin Trouillefou, King of the Gypsies of the Parisian Court of Miracles, humbly thank you for your heroic service. You are always welcome in my Court." he said, and he disappeared into the shadows before she could say anything.

Arianne sighed, and changed her clothes. After that, she unlocked her bedroom door and crawled into her bed, a weight still on her small shoulders.

...

The next day, she walked from her room to find her father furiously pacing the living room. She knew what was wrong, but feigned ignorance.

"What's the matter, Father? I thought you had business today?" she said to him. He stopped, and looked at her.

"I _had_ business today, but it seems those Gypsies attempted to escape! Two were killed, and one is missing!" he said angrily. Arianne pretended to be shocked.

"Have you found any clues as to where he might be?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No. Damned creature is probably half a world away. He knows well not to keep in Paris..." he said.

"So, what will you tell the public. They expect an execution..." she said. He nodded.

"Yes, yes, and an execution they will receive." he said. Arianne's eyes widened.

"But, they are gone, father!" she said. "Are you going to hang a corpse?" she asked. Frollo shook his head in agitation.

"Simple replacements. I took the liberty of having some Gypsies rounded up. The people won't know the difference." he said. Arianne almost forgot how to breath.

"B-but they are innocent, father-"

"Dammit ,child!" Frollo rounded on her and grasped her shoulders tightly. "Haven't you been listening to anything I've told you?! Within the Gypsies, there is _no such thing as innocence!_" he said loudly. Arianne saw the madness in his eyes, and could only nod her head.

"Y-yes, father...of course, father..." she said. He looked from one of her eyes to the other, making sure that she understood. He finally sighed and released her.

"My dear," he said calmly. "I do this, not only to cleanse the street of these vermin, but to reassure the masses. They do not know of the escape, and they never will. For, if they were to find that the Gypsies could go so far as to escape from the very Palace fo Justice, their faith in those who are sworn to protect them will wither, and die. They will become fearful, and instinctive rather than mindful. They will lose their way, and plummet to even the level of the Gypsies, their faith in themselves and ultimately God diminished. They must be reassured, child. Do you understand?" he asked.

Arianne nodded, horror spreading through her mind. He was willing to kill the innocent just to keep his power over the people, and he claimed it to be ultimately for God...

Frollo swept his grey hair back and studied her. "You'll be coming with me. You've never seen an execution, and I hope to further your knowledge on how dearly justice is payed to those who reside in the darkness of the Devil.." he said. Arianne wanted to cry and scream at him right then, but she forced her feelings down and hid them away.

"Yes...father..." she said, and went to her room to get changed. Marice waited there, with a dress already picked out for her.

"Time for you to witness your first execution, miss." she said with a smile. Arianne blinked at the woman's amused expression.

"And this is a good thing, Marice?" she asked.

"You'll finally see justice dealt in the most serious manner. Perhaps after that, you'll finally understand how things really work in the real world." the caretaker replied, and went to helping Arianne dress.

"I think I already have a good idea on how the world is..." Arianne said quietly. Marice didn't hear her, as she hummed while buttoning up Arianne's dress.

...

In the town square, Arianne was placed in the front of the crowd of people, guards flanking her and keeping people back by at least five feet. She looked at the large pyre with three Gypsy men, none of them Clopin, strapped to it in horror. They all looked confusedly and fearfully at the crowd, begging for their freedom.

"I-I thought they would be hanged..." she said to Marice who was right behind her.

"No, these Gypsies are to be made an example of to those who wish to harm children and spill innocent blood." she said. Arianne wanted to drop dead right there. With hangings, at least it was quick, but burnings were said to last almost an eternity, or Arianne had heard. She would watch innocent people burn alive, and she couldn't do a single thing about it.

"Citizens of Paris!" Frollo cried from the center, holding a flaming torch in his hand. The crowd hushed, and gave him their full attention. "These three Gypsies have been found guilty of assault and murder, and will therefore be punished accordingly for their sins!" the crowd cheered.

"We never killed anybody!" One Gypsy yelled to the crowd. "We have been framed!"

"Silence, Gypsy scoundrel!" Frollo yelled, and threw the torch onto the pyre at the Gypsy's feet. The fire spread quickly, and rose high, billowing smoke. Arianne watched at the Gypsies' faces contorted in pain and they cough and screamed. The fire eventually consumed them, and stopped their screams.

Arianne looked at the crowd, their eyes glued to the scene in disgust, cruelty, and even a hint of sympathy. She inhaled some of the smoke, and she coughed. Marice backed her up and began to lead her to the carriage.

"That's really all there is to see, anyway." she said. Arianne wanted to slap her for using such a bored tone. As they walked to the carriage, she noticed someone hiding behind some barrels. She squinted her eyes, and saw that it was Clopin, and he watched the fire with almost a crazed look in his eye. He noticed Arianne, blinked, and was gone. Arianne wanted to run after him for some reason. She could only imagine what Clopin was going through. His father and four others of his kind horribly killed within two days. The new king was not blessed with an easy start. She'd only wished she could do something to help him...

"Leaving so soon?" came a voice from behind her before she stepped into the carriage. She turned to see Frollo walking toward them.

"Miss Arianne was breathing in the smoke, and I don't want her to lose her health." Marice said. Frollo nodded. Then eyed Arianne.

"Very well. Have you learned a lesson today, child?" he asked. Arianne wanted badly to spit in his eye.

"Yes, father. I have found this experience to be quite enlightening, and I now see where you truly stand as a servant of Paris and God." she said, not really lying. Frollo smiled at her.

"Very good, my dear. There is hope for you yet." he said softly, and patted her on the head. She smiled back.

"There is always hope for the innocent, father." she said.

"Of course. I am proud of you, Arianne. You are finally seeing the light. I will see you at supper time." he said, and left her at the carriage.

"So much praise. You are doing well, miss." Marice said. Arianne sighed.

"Apparently."

"Hopefully you will go further down this road set before you." Marice said with a smile. Arianne thought long and hard about this road, and figured there were really two for her to choose from. One, a path that her father had planned for her, and the other, one that she was forced to go down once already. Her father's path was safest, she figured. Arianne looked out the window to see the fire dying down. She noticed the blackened bodies of the innocent Gypsies, and her eyes narrowed. Her father's path was safest, but not one she wanted to go down.

"This road.." she said, thinking of the second choice. "I think I'll walk it after all..." she said. Marice smiled again at her, not knowing what she had really chosen to be.

"It may be difficult at first miss, but you'll push through it, and then it will be as easy as breathing air." she said. Arianne smirked at her caretaker's encouragement.

"I certainly hope so..."


	6. Suiter's and Jester's

...SEVEN YEARS LATER...

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..?"

"Miss, are you alright?" It was Marice's voice that broke the silence, making Arianne snap out of her stupor. She had been staring in disbelief at this man who had so daringly come into her home and asked to spend the day with her. It wasn't the man's brave act that caused her to become silent, but the fact that her father had allowed it.

"I-I'm fine..." she said finally, her voice just above a whisper. The man who had asked for her smiled. He was handsome, with thick brown hair that was swept back, and he wore fine clothes that complimented his built figure. "It's just...a lot to take in.." she finished. His smile widened, thinking that her comment was a compliment aimed at him. It wasn't.

"I do hope you enjoy yourself today, miss." Marice said. "He is quite the gentleman."

"But of course!" the man said, and bowed for Arianne. "This lovely beauty deserves only the most gentlemanly of men to escort her through Paris." he said. Inside her mind, Arianne blanched. What a self absorbed dough-head...

"I'm sorry, what was your name?" she asked. His dashing smile faltered just a bit, but he laughed it off.

"Henri, my dearest!" he said, and Arianne nodded.

"Alright Henri please wait while I prepare for this outing. Make yourself at home." she said, and left for her room, Marice on her heels. Once in her room, she closed the door and sat on her bed. Marice looked at her in confusion.

"Miss, you must prepare. It will be a long day." she said.

"Tell me about it..." Arianne mumbled.

"Is something the matter?" Marice asked.

"I've never seen this guy, and he's already referring to me as 'my dear'." she said.

"Can you blame the boy for showing love to you?"

"Lust is more like it, Marice." Arianne said, and finally walked to her vanity. She looked in the mirror. She had certainly inherited her mother's beauty. Her big brown eyes looked back at her, slightly hooded, and her bow shaped mouth pouted slightly. Her long silver hair that reached the small of her back framed her heart shaped face.

Ever since she had turned fifteen two years ago, the boys had begun acting differently around her. They no longer gave her glances of curiosity like the young girls did, but instead stared dumbstruck at her with their mouths hanging slightly open. She didn't understand the sudden strange attention until Marice told her about the 'birds and the bees'. Now she understood, and sometimes wished she hadn't.

Arianne looked down at her breasts, and frowned.

"I thought men liked women with larger breasts..." she said. Marice blushed furiously at the remark.

"What on earth.." she said. Arianne kept looking at her chest.

"Well, it's true isn't it? My breasts aren't much anything. Why don't they chase after some big-boobed bimbo and leave me alone..." she muttered, and sighed. Marice was sputtering, trying to find what to say to that. Arianne looked at her caretaker, noticed her distress, and chuckled. "Calm down, Marice. If you die now, I'll have to find a new caretaker, and I've grown to like you."

Marice finally calmed herself and took a deep breath. "Yes, miss..." she said, and set to work finding Arianne a suitable dress.

...

"Isn't this wonderful, my dear?" Henri asked some hours later, as he lead Arianne with her arm in his down the streets of Paris. Arianne smiled politely.

"Yes, wonderful." she lied. In truth, she was having a horrible time. All this man would talk about this whole time was himself and his 'glorious' estate, bragging about his high position and riches. Arianne had hardly said a word, mostly nodding the entire time as her mind wandered to other things while he boasted loudly.

As they walked, they came across two small Gypsy children. One played a penny-whistle, while the other did a cute little dance. A small tin-can sat next to them, containing a few copper coins. Arianne figured that since Marice and her father weren't present, she should be able to help them. She left Henri's arm ans walked to the children, opening her small coin purse. The two watched as she brought out a gold coin, and their eyes widened.

Before Arianne could drop it in the can, Henri caught her shoulder and spun her around.

"What are you doing, giving precious money to such Gypsy urchins?" he asked. Arianne's eyes hooded. So, he was another one of 'them'... She smiled sweetly to him and shrugged him off.

"You're right, so silly of me. They just looked like hungry children. Forgive my weakness." she said. Henri smiled and shook his head.

"You are a woman. It's only natural to be blind to these matters." he said. Arianne's eye twitched just a little at that.

"Of course." she said, and opened her purse again. The children frowned, and began their act again, feeling a little put out. Arianne frowned as well, and dropped the gold coin to the ground, making it looked like it slipped from her fingers. The dancing Gypsy picked it up immediately and held it up for Arianne to take.

"That's right, little urchin. You'd better return it." Henri said threateningly. Arianne shook her head.

"Why on earth would I want something that a Gypsy touched? They could be diseased, Henri." she said, placing her hand over her heart. Henri's eyes widened, and he nodded.

"You're right." he said, and looked to the child, who seemed rather disgruntled. "Keep that filthy coin, and feel lucky." he said, and took Arianne's arm to continue her walk. As they turned, Arianne locked eyes with the children, and she winked at them. Their brows furrowed at first, but then smiles spread on their faces as comprehension took them. They bowed to her and continued their performance with vigor.

"Where are we going now?" Arianne asked some minutes later.

"I thought we would pass the cathedral, to take in her beauty." he said. Arianne nodded. Yet another trip to the church. Wheeeee...

When they reached Notre Dame, they sat on the stone steps that lead to the entrance. Henri leaned back on the palm of his hands and looked up at the architecture.

"Such brilliant work. Only fitting for a house of God." he said. Arianne smiled genuinely for the first time today. At least he was respectful of the arts.

"Yes, it is quite enthralling." she said.

"It's almost like my large mansion! The structure I mean. It has more rooms than I can possibly count, and you should see the decor..." he began to prattle on, and Arianne sighed inwardly and rested her chin on her hand, inspecting the crowd. She watched a small child run by after a few moments. Then another. And another. All going in the same direction, with copper coins in their small hands and smiles on their young faces. Arianne furrowed her brow, and looked in the direction they were running to.

She froze. They had all gathered in a small crowd in front of a colorful caravan, and were looking happily up to a Gypsy man with black, shoulder-length hair. He was dressed in purple, and wore a large hat upon his head, as well as a large smile on his handsome face. Arianne swallowed hard as she stared at Clopin. She hadn't seen him in a long time, not since seven years ago. She had purposefully avoided him and his caravan, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention to him. And now he was there, just yards away...

"-ianne. Arianne, I asked you a question." Henri said, and Arianne shook her head from the daze. She looked at him.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" she asked. Henri tsked and looked to where she had been staring at. His brow rose at the caravan.

"Is that what took your attention from me?" he asked. Arianne decided not to answer that. Henri stood up, and looked at the caravan with aggravation on his face. "Look at that. He's poisoning those young minds, I know it..." he said, and began to walk towards the caravan. Arianne stood and ran up to him, then grabbed his arm.

"Wh-where are you going?" she asked. Henri looked at her.

"To see what this man is doing to attract so many children." he said, and kept walking, despite Arianne's pleas to go elsewhere. Moments later they ended up at the back of the little group of kids, Henri studying the display, and Arianne practically hiding behind him. Some minutes into the performance, Arianne was shocked to find Henri laughing with the children at Clopin's jokes and silly stories, and a small smile of hope spread on her face.

When the performance was over Clopin took off his hat and bowed low to the crowd of children.

"That's all for today, little ones! Hoping to see you next time!" he said. The children all nodded and dropped their coins in the wooden box that hung from the stage before running along home to their families. Arianne hoped to pull Henri away before Clopin noticed them, but he refused to move. She looked up at him to see a curious expression on his face, and nearly jumped when he began to laugh loudly, making other people look curiously at him. Clopin heard the laugh, and looked up at the man in question.

"May I help you, _monsieur_?" he asked politely, forcing a smile before walking out of the caravan and closing it up and locking it.

"Your performance was excellent!" Henri said. Arianne sighed in relief, and Clopin looked back to him, surprise on his face.

"I am happy you enjoyed it!" he said, some of his smile now genuine. It wasn't often he was complimented by the adult Parisians. Henri nodded, his smile widening.

"And I'm quite impressed! You don't see many Gypsies doing honest work for honest pay! You may be the only one!" he said. Clopin, who was lowering the wood cover for the stage, let it snap shut.

"Yes, well..." he said. "Good day to you, _monsieur._" he said, and picked up the handle, then began to roll the caravan away. He caught sight of Arianne, who was clutching Henri's arm. She looked back at him as his eyes darted from her to Henri. He finally raised a brow, scoffed, and shook his head and walked on, leaving Arianne there, feeling much less than pleased.

"Well, that was quite fun!" Henri said loudly, and looked down at Arianne. His smile faltered when he saw her expression of sadness and regret. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"I would like to go home now, please." she muttered.

"Whatever for?" he asked.

"I suddenly don't feel well, and would like to rest." she said. Henri shrugged, and lead her home.

Arianne fought hard to keep the tears from flowing.

...

It was midnight, and two Gypsy children, two young boys, snuck through the streets, keeping to the shadows. One stepped on the others foot, making him cry out.

"Shh! Quiet!"

"You stepped on my foot, you idiot!" the other hissed. When they had finally reached the reason fro why they were out so late, they stopped. One hopped on the other's shoulders to peek inside the tailor shop.

"Is anyone inside?" the one on the ground whispered.

"No. It's safe." said the other, and he jumped back down. "Mother will love the nice fabric we get for her." he whispered happily.

"And she'll be proud that we were able to do this." said the other in glee. They both skipped over to the back, where they had found a back door with a busted lock earlier that day.

"Can't believe that stupid tailor still pretends to lock this stupid door. The lock is broken." said one, and the other nodded in agreement. Without another thought, they both pulled the door open...

...and were promptly greeted by the sound of many cans falling noisily down and clanging against the ground. The children panicked, and saw that lights went on in various windows out in the street.

"Guards! A break-in!" someone called from one window when they spotted the boys. The clanking of armor was then heard, and was steadily growing louder.

"We need to leave!" one boy said, no longer bothering to be quiet. They each then ran to the street and away from the guards. Their short legs slowed them down though, and the guards eventually caught sight of them.

"Over there! Gypsies!" one cried. The boys tried to run even faster then, and their little legs burned. They turned the corner, and ran hard into something. They fell, and sat painfully up

"Ow, my ankle..." said one of them, and they both looked up to see what they had hit. They gasped.

It was a thin person, dressed in a colorful tunic and leggings. A very long hood was attached to the tunic, and was up, hiding the figure's hair. Their face was covered completely by a white mask, with two thin triangles painted in red under the eye slits, and red painted over the lips like lipstick. A thin sword was sheathed at her hip.

The figure looked down at them, and the boys flinched when she reached down to them with her gloved hands. She picked up the one with the harmed ankle, and held him close. He struggled, but she shushed him.

"Here to help..." she said softly, an looked to the other boy, nodding for him to follow her. He thought to not follow her, rather kick her until he retrieved his brother, but the sound of the angry guards coming closer made him do as he was told. "Keep up." the figure said, and ran down the street, with one boy in hands and the other in pursuit.

She made many twists and turns, and often had to stop for a moment to let the child catch up. The sounds of the guards eventually faded, and they finally stopped for a rest. She set the boy she carried down, and lifted her mask, just slightly, so she could wipe the sweat from her face. They boys tried to catch her face, but it was too dark for them to see.

"Do we know you, lady?" The one she carried asked. She shook her head, but said nothing.

"What's your name then, and why are you hiding your face?" the other boy asked. She shrugged, and took a deep breath. "Alright then, so why'd you help us?" he asked. The girl looked at him finally, and sighed at his questioning. She pointed the wall in front of them, where a statue of the Virgin Mary sat. The boy frowned. "I don't get it." he said.

"She doesn't like seeing children harmed." she said to him quietly. "Come." she stood, and picked up the other boy, then began a quick jog. "Show me where you must go." she said, and the one she carried pointed directions to her, eventually leading her to the outskirts of the city.

"Here is fine." he said, and she stopped.

"I can take him from here." The one who ran said, and she set the boy she carried down. He then leaned on the other, and they looked up at her.

"Thank you very much." they both said in unison. She nodded to them.

"Hey! You boys!" came an angry voice. The girl quickly unsheathed her sword and pointed it to a shadow running towards them. When the shadow got closer, the girl and the boys saw that it was Clopin, and he looked incredibly angry, and worried. He stopped running when he saw the girl and her sword. His eyes narrowed.

"She's okay! She helped us get away from the guards!" One of the boys said quickly, and then looked to the girl. "He's our leader, please don't kill him." he said. The girl sheathed her sword, then walked up to Clopin. She pointed at the boys, then to Clopin himself.

"Responsibility." she hissed. Clopin's eyes widened for a moment, then he cracked a sheepish smile.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Thank you, weird jester girl." he said. She nodded, then turned and walked back toward the city, leaving the Gypsies watching her. When she disappeared, Clopin looked to the boys, placing his hands on his hips. "I'd deal with you two myself, but I think your mother would rather have that pleasure..." he said. The boys gulped, and Clopin picked up the one with the bad ankle. "So, who was that, anyway?" he asked as they made their way to the cemetery.

"She didn't say." said the one he carried. "She didn't say much at all, really."

"She did say that Maria didn't like seeing children hurt. That's why she helped us." said the other. "I wonder why she was dressed like she was. She doesn't seem to be a Gypsy, else she would have known where to take us..." Clopin listened to them speak about the peculiar jester girl, and smirked.

"A jester doing Maria's bidding. Well, that's interesting." he said. The boys nodded in agreement, and continued telling their king all about their time with her, exaggerating some of the details.

...

Arianne climbed into her room through her window, shut it, and removed the mask. She wiped the sweat from her face and walked to her closet. She stripped from the colorful clothing and hid it and the sword and the mask away under some floorboards that she had loosened. Smiling, she dressed into her nightgown and washed her face off using the bowl of rose water that sat by her vanity. Once that was done, she climbed into bed, feeling rather pleased with herself.

"One night down, an entire lifetime to go..." she muttered, then fell quickly to sleep.


	7. Fencing

Some weeks after her first night out, Arianne once again crawled through her window, this time with some blood dripping from a scratch on her shoulder. So far she had been able to avoid the guards, but tonight was different. She had to sneak into the very Palace of Justice itself to save a Gypsy woman who had been accused of practicing witchcraft on people to make them give her coins. The guards caught up to them on their way out, and Arianne had to resort to swordplay.

She never learned how to use the sword, and only kept the one she had with her for a last resort for defence. Tonight, her lack of skill was shown as she clumsily fought with the guards that pursued them. Thankfully, her speed made up for her skill, and she was able to fight them off without taking more than a scratch to her shoulder. She took the Gypsy woman and ran from the palace, and, after making sure to lose the guards completely, took her to where she took all the Gypsies she saved, to the outskirts of Paris, where she brought the first two little boys.

The Gypsy woman hugged an thanked her for her kindness, and Arianne nodded. "One suggestion though," she said to Arianne. "I think you should practice a little more with your swordplay; it may save you one day, you know?" she said. Arianne chuckled, and walked back toward the city.

Now she sat on her bed cleaning her wound with a bit of cloth. "Just where am I supposed to learn swordplay?" she asked bitterly, finding no ideas. When she finished, she hid her outfit and sword under the floorboards in her closet, then put on her nightgown and crawled into bed, feeling less than pleased with tonight's performance.

...

On the morning after her first night out, Arianne quickly discovered the painful consequences of her actions. Her legs and abdomen were sore, and she had to fight to keep herself walking normally. But, as the weeks moved on, the pain began to subside, and she was finally able to walk without hurting too much.

"Soon, I might even notice it at all.." she said to herself hopefully as she brushed her hair. It was Monday, and she was to yet again to go out with Henri, who her father was taking a liking to. Today, she and Henri would have lunch at his estate. "Just another way to brag about his riches..." she muttered, and walked out of her room.

He was waiting in the foyer, looking handsome as ever, and he beamed when their eyes met. Arianne smiled politely and walked over to him.

"Shall we be going, my dear?" he asked. Arianne nodded.

"I guess." she said, and they walked out of her home and into his awaiting carriage.

...

Some hours later, they sat at a table on her back porch, taking tea. Arianne admitted that his mansion was quite lovely, with the beautiful architecture and victorian era decor. She looked over his large green lawn while he talked and talked, her mind still on the events from last night.

"Isn't it laughable, my dear?" he asked finally. Arianne blinked, and looked over at him.

"Yes, of course." she said. He smiled at her.

"And to think, my own fencing instructor, giving the point to my opponent. Cheating, indeed. I would never do such a-"

"Fencing instructor?" she asked suddenly. If she were a dog, her ears would have raised straight into the air. Henri nodded.

"Yes, my fencing instructor, Gerard. As I was saying..." he continued to talk, and Arianne began to formulate a plan in her mind. A fencing instructor was exactly what she needed. After a few minutes of thinking, she leaned forward and sighed. Henri stopped talking, and looked at her. "Er, what is it?" he asked. Arianne sighed again, and batted her lashes.

"I was just thinking about this girl I know from church, who also fences. She very pretty. Her husband is very fond of her as well. Why wouldn't he be? He has a lovely wife who knows such a lovely skill. It makes him so popular because women with such skills are so rare, you know. She's one of the main reasons his friends attend his parties, so that they may watch her beautiful display." She sighed again, and took a sip from her tea. "It must be nice, to have such a trophy for a wife, to put on display for all to see..." she took another sip from her tea, and looked from Henri out to the green lawn.

'Three...two...one...'

"My dear, I have an idea." Henri said. Arianne smirked in her mind, and she looked innocently at him.

"Whatever could this idea be, _my dear_?" she asked. Henri smiled at her.

"I was wondering if perhaps you would like to join me in my fencing lessons." he said. Arianne grinned in her mind now, but she took on an expression of surprise and placed her hand over her heart.

"Oh, I don't know, Henri...Isn't it dangerous?" she asked.

"Oh, no, of course not, dearest! We do not use actual swords. Just rapiers. I think you might enjoy it!" he said. Arianne made it look like she was thinking it over, then finally gave a small smile and nodded.

"Alright, if you insist, I'll try it. We should keep this from my father, though. He tends to worry about me." she said. Henri beamed and nodded.

"Of course, it will be between you, me, and our instructor!" he said, and began to talk yet again. Arianne leaned back in her seat and took a sip from her tea, a smug expression on her lovely face.

Men were so easy to manipulate...

...

"Arianne, my dear, it is alright if you do not get it at the first try." Henri said, and patted Arianne on the looked up at him, her face slightly red. It was a week later, and they sat on the lawn of his backyard, both in fencing uniforms. Their instructor, Gerard, an old man with a lot of strength, leaned against a tree and watched them, mild interest showing on his face.

"If I am to learn this, then I plan on dominating it as soon as possible!" Arianne said to Henri, who chuckled at her stubbornness. True, at first she acted uninterested, and for the first hour giggled at her mistakes and even pretended the rapier was a bit heavy. But, her act eventually faded, and she studied Gerard's movements thoroughly, trying to replicate them exactly and make them her own. She kept failing, and it was getting more and more on her nerves.

"You cannot expect to become a master in one day." Henri said. "It'll take a while to get the basics down, but don't worry, my dear. Practice leads ultimately to perfection, or something close to is at least! Hell, one day you may even reach my level!" he said, and laughed at the thought. Arianne was at first thankful for the words of encouragement, but his final comment made her lose all appreciation. She looked away from him, and gave a small scowl.

'I plan on surpassing your level, and much sooner than you think...' she thought, and stood, then walked over to Gerard, who nodded in greeting to her.

"I'm ready for more training, sir." she said. Gerard raised a brow at her expression of utter determination.

"Not every day you see a woman such as yourself so interested in the ways of the sword. Seems to me like you have some personal issue to deal with, but why on earth would someone like you have that?" he asked, and picked up his rapier. He smirked at her shocked face as he passed, and went back to the opening. "Well, come on then. We don't want to starve your interest in the subject any longer, do we?" Arianne blinked, then shook her head before taking her rapier and jogging over to him.

She would have to keep her guard up around this man, and her eye on him at all times...

...

As the weeks progressed, so did her skills. Her determination helped her learn quickly, much to her joy and Gerard's approval. Even Henri was delighted when she eventually surpassed him. She was a lovely woman with a fine gift, the perfect thing for him to boast about being in possession of.

As she got better, so did her nightly persona, which she was shocked to be given a name. Maria's Jester. Arianne laughed happily when she first heard it. Her father wasn't so pleased. He thought of the Jester as nothing more than a vile Gypsy, hellbent on ruining and embarrassing him, all the while defiling Beata Maria's holy name. He hated how this wrecker of justice haunted the streets of Paris and openly mocked him and the law, making it even safer for those damned Gypsy scum to walk the streets.

Arianne enjoyed when she would see him fuming, and bickering about how he would love nothing more than to find that abomination and burn them for their evils. She would agree with him, of course. She had to. Over these long years she had steadily made her father build a kind of trust in her and her innocence. She no longer openly defended the Gypsies, claiming she had learned better and that her father was, of course, right about them all. She claimed her devotion to her father's ways and God's path, and he ate all those lies up like a child would cake. Manipulation; it was a skill that she was now quite good at.

So, by day, she was the innocent, God fearing and law-abiding daughter of the Judge Claude Frollo, exactly as a woman in her position should be. By night, she was the exact opposite, the real her. The true Arianne. She didn't know if she would go to hell for what she did, with all the lies she told, the secrets she kept even from confession, and the breaking of the law, and she knew that one day she would eventually have the blood of a guard on her hands. It was inevitable, and she accepted it. And, if she had to go to hell for all this, than so be it.

After three months of practice, Arianne had become quite good at fencing, and Henri puffed his chest with pride. She still acted girlish and silly around him during practices with him, only becoming serious when she and Gerard practiced and Henri went inside to attend other business. After losing once again to Gerard, they each took a small break to catch their breath. He walked over to her and sat down.

"So, am I ever going to figure out why you're doing this, miss?" he asked. Arianne looked at him with fake curiosity and forced an innocent smile.

"Oh, good sir, I don't know what you mean by that. I only started this because Henri suggested it, and I only want to be good so he may be proud of me and happy with his decision." she said. The old man studied her, and hooded his eyes.

"I'm not some air-headed rich boy with too much time on his hands and too big an ego to understand the obvious, Arianne. Just telling you that now, before you attempt another act of ignorance." he said. Arianne's smile dropped, and she huffed.

"I'm only interested in it because I don't want to be so defenseless in case something bad were to happen. I don't want to have to rely on said 'air-headed rich boy'." she said. Gerard smirked, and nodded.

"That's a good reason, and mostly true, to. That's all I need." he said, then looked up to the clouds. "I heard tell that this Maria's Jester, you know, the one that's been helping those Gypsies, has been resorting more and more to using their sword. I heard they're quite good at it, to. I've also heard their style is quite similar to mine." he said. Arianne became rigid, and he chuckled. "I wonder if I'll ever meet that person..." he said.

"Wh-what would you say, may I ask?" she asked. Gerard sighed.

"I'd say that they would need to change up their style a bit, so that the techniques aren't traced back to certain people or instructors of those people. It'd help them cover their tracks, in the very least. That's about it-oh, and that what their doing is stupid, but good. We need more people like that Jester..." he said, and stood. He offered his hand, and Arianne took it. He helped her up, and went for his rapier. Henri walked outside, and smiled at Arianne.

"How goes practice?" he asked. Gerard answered.

"She's doing well, for a woman, but let's face it. She'd never win in an actual match." he said. Arianne spun around to look at him. He gave her a small wink, then turned back to Henri, who looked at Arianne. She smiled at him.

"I must agree with _monsieur _Gerard. I'm getting the basics down, but all this footwork and swinging this heavy rapier is quite taxing on someone with my small body type." she said. Henri laughed, and nodded.

"Well, fencing isn't really a woman's sport, but I must say I still am pleased with how well you are doing!"

"Thank you, Henri. Your praise means a lot to me." she said, and practice continued.

...

Arianne did just as Gerard instructed her, and she changed her style of movement while she fought, eventually making one that was completely her own. It was difficult at first, but she eventually got it, and was quite pleased with herself. She not only practiced the sword, but even practiced acrobatics, then incorporated each skill into the other, making her swordplay even more Jester-ish. She could backflip, frontflip, summersault, and do many other things with her sword in hand, each move helping her in some way, mostly to dodge attacks and confuse the guards. She was now truly something to be reckoned with, and that only made the guards and her father all the more angrier.

She was even making quite the impact on the Gypsy world. They made many guesses as to who she could be, all failing miserably after an investigation. They eventually ruled out that it was impossible for her to be one of them, else she would certainly have been found out by now. But who was this Maria's Jester? This question was not asked as much among them as was asked by Clopin Trouillefou, their King.

He was especially interested in this person. He, who boasted about knowing everything and all goings-on in Paris, was left completely in the dark about this mystery person. He had met up with her a few times, after she would save one Gypsy child or adult and drop them off to him at the edge of the city. Every time, she would give him a calculating look before departing. Sometimes he'd ask her about herself, but she'd just wave him off and continue on her way.

One night he was determined to find out who she was, whether she liked it or not, and, after she brought yet another Gypsy back from the Palace of Justice, he silently followed her back into the city. She walked through the streets, keeping against the walls of homes and shops, and out from the open. He followed from the rooftops, keeping his eye on her at all times. One thing she was known for was disappearing into nowhere and he was determined to not even blink if that was what it took.

She stopped in her tracks, and looked around suspiciously. Clopin ducked down behind a chimney, and peeked at her as she continued to survey the area. She then snapped her attention to the left and down a small road, then quickly hid behind some nearby crates. From where she had looked, came a small group of guards, swords and torches in hand. Clopin watched as they scanned the area once before moving on down the way the Jester came from. In minutes, they were gone, and the Jester slowly removed herself from her hiding place.

Clopin jumped up when she began to move again. She ran down an alley, then sat down on the cold ground. She brought her hand up behind her mask and wiped her face. Clopin once again hid himself from her view, and he waited for her to move yet again. She didn't. He sighed in agitation as she seemed to make herself at him at that little spot on the ground.

'What the hell is she waiting for?' he thought, and decided that he might as well make himself comfortable if he was going to be waiting there forever. He never took his eyes off of her as she did trivial things, like play with the hem of her colorful tunic, or adjust her black gloves. He rubbed his eyes, feeling tired, but kept them on her, fighting his eyelids to keep them open. Finally, he closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he forgot where he was. The first light of day was breaking. He yawned and looked up from where he was, scanning the area. When he finally remembered the girl, he looked down to where she was supposed to be. She, of course, was gone. He cursed, and stood up, feeling sore from lying on the hard roof for so long. A piece of folded paper fell from his shoulder, and he picked it up, and curiously unfolded it.

In fancy lettering, it read:

'Dear sir, though I do admire your determination, I must regrettably inform you that I do not bring men I hardly know to my home, especially when they do not even take me to dinner first. Maybe next time. Sincerely, M.J.'

Clopin scowled at the letter. It wasn't enough that she had escaped him, but she had to tease him about it as well.

"Jester, indeed, _ma cherie_..." he said, and tucked the paper into his pocket before jumping down from the roof and heading back to the Court of Miracles.

...

Arianne woke up that morning feeling rather happy. She didn't even notice him until those guards showed up and she saw him watching them. At first she couldn't believe it, but then she figured that it was inevitable that the Gypsies would want to know who exactly was helping them out. She thought it was fun, writing that note and placing it by his sleeping person.

She sat up, and smiled.

This Jester business was becoming quite fun.

...

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the encouraging reviews! I wasn't expecting them so soon, lol. Again, thank you! ;D


	8. Folly At The Ol' FOF

The Festival of Fools. An even held every year on January sixth for everyone to enjoy. Almost everyone. Frollo was not a fan at all of this holiday, since it gave Gypsies near immunity and caused the public to leave civility and act absolutely foolish.

Arianne didn't mind it, and enjoyed watching the many tricks and performances that the Gypsies and Parisian's alike participated in. She of course never joined in, and watched quietly from her seat next to her father, who watched everything with a face of stone.

Today she sat in her seat as the festivities began, and her father sat down next to her. He leaned over to her.

"If you feel at all uncomfortable with the lasciviousness of today's events, you are by all means allowed to depart, child." he said. Arianne looked up to him and smiled.

"You say that every year, father. I'll be okay, I promise." she said. Frollo nodded, then looked out to the gathering crowd.

"Perhaps we'll see that Jester today. Keep an eye out." he said. Arianne frowned.

"I don't know what this Jester looks like, father, and besides, there will be many people in masks today, both Gypsy and Parisian alike." she said.

"I suppose you're right. I can only think that that scum is sitting out there now, right under our noses and laughing..." he said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll catch him soon enough." she said, and patted his arm. He would have answered her had the music not suddenly started, and the crowd cheered in delight as Clopin hopped from nowhere onto a stage, removed his feathered hat, and bowed happily to the crowd. He wore a tunic of different colors, with bells hanging from the hem and from the tips of his shoes. A purple mask covered his eyes and the top of his nose. Arianne couldn't help but smile at his presence.

As the day went on, she watched as the people played silly games and danced happily in the square. Frollo often pointed to somewhere to scoff at the incivility of it. Arianne would only nod, and watched the confetti and streamers flutter prettily around, sometimes landing on her lap and in her hair.

"You're quiet, my dear." Frollo said after about an hour. Arianne had been staring into space at that point due to boredom. She snapped out of it and looked at him.

"Oh, I'm alright, father. But, would it possibly be alright if I were to walk around?"

"Out there?" he asked, gesturing to the crowd of dancing people. Arianne nodded.

"I promise I won't do anything bad. I just want to stretch my legs, and possibly play a game or two." she said. Frollo contemplated this for a moment, then finally sighed and nodded.

"I guess that's alright, but you are to come straight here if anyone attempts to give you trouble, do you understand?" he asked. Arianne smiled wide and nodded.

"Yes, father, of course. Thank you." she said. She stood, brushed the confetti off her lap and stepped down to the ground. She walked though the crowds of people, taking in the sight and sounds from all over, not knowing where to go first. Everywhere Gypsies performed their strange dances to odd music played by penny-whistles, tambourines, guitars, and other instruments she couldn't name. The Parisian's also danced, but in a more traditional manner than the Gypsies. They conversed and laughed together, which made Arianne's eyes widen. On all the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year, the Parisians would run from and insult the Gypsies. But, for some reason, on this day of all days, they cooperated and rejoiced together.

"It really is topsy-turvy day, I guess." she muttered.

"So, you noticed it to, then!" said a cheerful voice. Arianne turned to see Clopin there, smiling like an idiot. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but she regained her composure quickly and feigned disinterest. She turned away, and began to walk, with him following her, much to her annoyance. "And how are you on this fine, fantabulous day, mam'zelle?" he asked, unaffected by her coldness. She sighed.

"It is going just fine, _monsieur_ Trouillefou. Now, I must bid you good day." she said. Clopin jumped in front of her, holding a daisy in front of her.

"It is a nice thing that you took your precious time to remember my name!" he said, and, before she could stop him, tucked the little flower behind her ear. She blushed.

"You're very brave sir, to touch my person so familiarly." she said. Clopin bowed to her, the bells on his hem jingling.

"A thousand apologies, my lady, but seeing such a lovely creature like you, could you blame me if I couldn't help myself?" he asked. Arianne blushed again, then continued walking.

"Good day, Clopin." she said, but before she could take another step, he reached out and spun her around, took her hand in his then began to dance with her to the fast beat of the music. "_Monsieur!_" she cried out in alarm, but Clopin only laughed.

"You've become quite the stick in the mud, mam'zelle. I blame that father of yours! Best watch yourself, else you may even become as frigid as he is!" he said. Arianne frowned. She didn't want to act the way she was, but she had to. The people may have been distracted by the festivities of the day, but her father still watched her like a hawk, and she needed to keep her act up, else she would lose what she took so long to build.

"You really think insulting my father is the best conversation starter, Trouillefou?" she asked.

"It's the perfect conversation starter!" he replied.

"And how is that, exactly?"

"We are talking, yes?" he said, and laughed. Arianne smiled a little at that. He and his antics always got the best of her. He beamed at her smile. "Ah, so that little girl that wandered to my show is still in there somewhere, eh?" he asked. Arianne's smile dropped instantly, and her seriousness returned. "Aaaand, she is hiding again. Who are you and why have you taken _ma petite fleur_ hostage?" Clopin asked. Arianne eased herself from Clopin's grasp and backed away.

"Things change, _monsieur_, and people go down there own paths." she said. Clopin tsked.

"And is your path a life of coldness and reservedness while pretending to listen to a great oaf who boasts of himself and his treasures?" he asked. Arianne's eyes narrowed.

"If you are referring to Henri, then I'll have you know he is a very good man-"

"With an ego the size of Notre Dame herself and the same closed-mindedness about my people as the next Parisian fool." he said, and placed his hands on his hips.

"You're completely incorrect-"

"Are we speaking of the same man I saw you hanging off of a while back?" he asked.

"Yes, but-"

"Then you are either protecting him, for reasons I will never know, or you have truly become ignorant to your surroundings, mam'zelle, and in which case, I hope he makes you happy." he said.

"You ass!" Arianne said loudly, making some people stop what they were doing at look warily at the two. Clopin smirked at her anger.

"Careful, mam'zelle; what if your nutcase father were to hear you? He'd think I'd placed a curse on you, and then throw me into jail for sorcery." he finished his sentence while waving his fingers in the air. Arianne curled her lip.

"You are such an idiot-"

"You don't think that has happened? If so, then I must sadly say that you are the idiot, no offense."

"You dare-"

"You've been insulting me this whole time, and I don't get to?"

"You've insulted me plenty!"

"I already apologized for touching you precious person!" he said. "You know, I thought you were only acting like such to keep your papa happy, but now I'm thinking differently."

"Good! Finally, you're learning some sense!"

"And your loosing sense!"

"Shut up!"

"Else what, you'll sic your boyfriend on me?"

"Hey!" came a new voice. Arianne and Clopin looked angrily from each other to Henri, who seemed rather angry himself.

"Well, speak of the devil, as they say..." Clopin said bitterly. Henri stepped between him and Arianne, then glared at the Gypsy, who was about an inch shorter.

"Do we have a problem here, sewer rat?" he asked. Clopin seethed at him, but turned away.

"No, we don't." he said as he began to walk away. Henri grabbed him.

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you-"

Before Henri could finish, Clopin spun around and punched him right in the jaw, sending him backwards. Clopin smirked as Henri looked up at him in outrage.

"Woops." he said. "Sorry, monsieur; I slipped..."

"To hell, you slipped! Guards!" Henri called. Two guards walked up to them. Arianne looked around to see that the entire area had stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. She suddenly felt very wary.

"What happened, sir?" the guard asked. Henri stood up and swept his tousled hair back.

"This scum-of-the-earth just punched me! Didn't he, Arianne?" he asked, and everyone looked to Arianne, including Clopin. Fighting the tears and burying them down as deep as she could, and straightened up and took on a dignified manner. She pointed to Clopin.

"Guards, arrest this Gypsy for attacking an innocent man. Take him to the Palace of Justice, where he will receive proper punishment." she said, her voice even, and cold. Just like her father.

"With pleasure, Miss Frollo." one said, and placed Clopin in shackles. Clopin gave Arianne one final look before being taken away. Arianne sighed, and looked around her. The Parisian's looked at her with a kind of respect, while the Gypsies glowered at her with the very same expression they gave her father. She brushed the confetti off of her and walked back to Frollo with Henri following her, the people giving her a five foot radius as she went. When she reached him, she looked up to him, and he smiled back at her.

"You did very well, my dear. You didn't even need my aid in that situation. I am proud of you." he said to her.

"Yes, father. I think I would like to go home now. I feel a bit drained." she said. Frollo nodded, and waved for some guards to escort her home.

"Get some rest, child." he said, and turned back to the crowd, who started the festivities once again. But something was missing now, from the spirit of it. It wasn't the absence of the other Gypsies, who seemed to disappear completely, leaving the Parisians, and it wasn't the sudden lack of frivolity in the people.

It was the absence of the familiar jangling bells, the whimsical rhymes, and the boisterous dancing and laughing of Clopin Trouillefou. When he left, it seemed that there was no one to keep the excitement in the people's hearts, and so the spirit of the Festival of Fools was lost, leaving only some drunken Parisians dancing unceremoniously in the square, and falling broken on the steps of Notre Dame.

...

That night, Arianne wiped the tears from her eyes and took some deep breaths.

"Okay, you can do this..." she said to herself in the mirror, then placed her mask on her face, pulled up her hood, and climbed out her window.

When she reached the Palace of Justice, she crept in the usual way, which was through the large slab of rock that Clopin and she had gone through to escape the guards when she was so little. She made her way through the small space and reached the end, she stood on a stone to help her reach the top and she pushed the other slab over. She climbed up, then put the slab back. It was a shame she couldn't use this as her exit, instead of the entrance or the side door, but if she did that, she wouldn't be able to place the slab back, and her secret entrance would be revealed, then destroyed by Frollo's men.

She stood from her spot and opened the cell door as quietly as possible. Once out, she began to search the cells. Most of the men here deserved where they were at. Drunken slobs getting into fights and stealing and killing people. They were all asleep now, one of the advantages when working late in the night.

Arianne heard bells, and she looked to her left. There was Clopin, a few cells down, leaning against the bars with a bored look on his tired face. There were some welts on his face. Hs mask and hat were gone, and his clothes were slightly torn up. Arianne figured that his face wasn't the only thing that was hit during his stay here...

He didn't notice her until she walked right up to him and knocked on the cage. He blinked, and looked up at her.

"Ooooh, if it isn't you,_ cherie_. Come to take me to dinner, I hope?" he asked, and giggled at his joke. He began to mumble some rhymes. Arianne rolled her eyes and began her work with the lock. When she finally got it open, she waited for Clopin to stand up and step out, but he stayed there. She huffed at him, and he smiled at her sheepishly. She scowled.

"Leave..." she hissed. He shook his head and pointed to his chest.

"I am sorry, _fleur_, but it seems the ribs on my left side are a little floaty, and it feels as if they are currently attempting to go and visit my ribs on the right side." he said. "In short, I require assistance." Arriane sighed and walked into the cell. She helped him up, and he flinched in pain. "You are not gentle, mam'zelle..." he said with his teeth clenched. Arianne chuckled,and wrapped his arm over her shoulders before moving him from the cell.

When they got out of the Palace of Justice, Arianne was happy to find that they hadn't run into any guards. With Clopin the way he was, she'd have a lot of trouble getting them both out of there. After a half hour of walking with him, she glanced over to his face, which held a glimmer of pain.

"You're quiet..." she whispered, making sure to alter her voice. He forced a laugh, and flinched again.

"Ugh, says the person who doesn't hardly go past four syllables when speaking." he said. Arianne nodded. She wanted the Gypsies to hear as little of her voice as possible, so they wouldn't be able to match Arianne and Maria's Jester's voices together. This applied especially to Clopin, whom she'd spoken to extensively as Arianne.

When they turned a corner, Arianne froze. Three guards, who had been patrolling the streets, caught sight of the.

"Shit..." she muttered under her breath. Clopin sighed. She quickly set him down as the guards ran up to him, and she unsheathed her sword, prepared to fight. Clopin himself had never seen Jester fight, but heard stories from those who did. She was very good apparently, and was so fast that she seemed to disappear for instances. Clopin watched her now, and she hopped effortlessly away from the guards' attacks and did cartwheels around them. She didn't attack yet, focusing on wearing them out for the moment. When they began to slow down, she switched to the offense, and began cutting them down easily. When the last one finally fell, she quickly sheathed her sword and grabbed Clopin, hoisted him up, and began walking as quickly as she could from the scene. Someone had to have heard that, and would investigate very soon. They needed to get out of view before that happened.

"This might be the deliriousness talking, but I think I'm in love..." Clopin said to her with a smile. He'd never seen a woman fight like that. She scoffed at the comment.

"Delirious..." she concluded as she ushered him down the road.

"Your arm is bleeding, you know..." he said. Arianne looked down at her upper arm, where she was indeed bleeding from a cut. She shook her head angrily, and kept walking.

"It's nothing.." she said.

"I'd wrap it up, but sadly I don't have anything to use-"

"Clopin!" came a hushed voice. Arianne tensed, and looked for the voice's source. The lid of a barrel popped open, and out came a Gypsy man in dark clothing. Some other Gypsies walked out from the shadows, their faces serious. Clopin greeted them happily, and one rushed forward and took him from Arianne. "We were coming for you, but it seems Maria's Jester has beaten us." said the first Gypsy.

"Yes, she is quite reliable!" Clopin said. Arianne turned to leave, but Clopin reached out and grabbed her tunic. "Hey, hey! Where are you going?" he asked. Arianne turned back to him.

"I'm done here." she said.

"You should come with us! We have plenty of room for someone like you!" he said. Some of the other Gypsies nodded, while some didn't move. Arianne shook her head.

"I'm not part of that world, King..." she muttered, then eased out of his grasp. She turned again, and ran off into the darkness.

"Should we go after her, Clopin?" one Gypsy asked. Clopin smiled and shook his head.

"No, you'd never catch her. She made her choice, anyway. But remember! She is always welcome in my Court, you hear me?" The Gypsies nodded in agreement, and Clopin laughed. "Alright then! I am in dire need of doctoring and alcohol! Let's get the hell out of this quiet place and drink to Beata Maria's Jester!" he called, and they all made their way back to the Court of Miracles, where many drinks were made in the Jester's bravery and honor.

...

Arianne dressed her wound. It was just a little cut, easily hidable. She dreaded the inevitable day when she would be inflicted with a blow much worse than this. It wasn't the pain she worried about, but how difficult it would be to conceal it from everyone. She sighed at the thought, and put on her night gown. As soon as she did that, she heard a noise come from downstairs. Curious, she unlocked her door and headed down to the first floor. When she reached the end of the steps, she saw light come from the foyer.

"Why is the fireplace lit?" she whispered to herself, and crept to the entrance. She peeked in, and saw that her father was standing directly in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames.

"It wasn't my fault. Not my fault..." he muttered. Arianne's eyes narrowed. What was he talking about? "It was her fault...that woman..." he said. "I had to do it...I had to kill her..."

Arianne's eyes widened at this, and she leaned in closer to get better hearing.

"She would have left, defiling the sanctity of our marriage, and disgracing both myself and God...I had to stop her..." he mumbled, and fell to the floor on his knees. "God have mercy on her. God have mercy on _me_..."

Arianne felt cold as she made her way back of the steps to her room. She closed the door gently behind her, and walked to her bed. She crawled in, and stared up at the ceiling, the words of her father running through her mind like a river.

She clenched the sheets in her hand, tears stinging her eyes, and hellfire burning in her heart.


	9. Harmed

...EIGHT YEARS LATER...

"Ha! Haha!" Arianne raised her rapier in triumph; she had finally beaten Gerard, her instructor, and she felt grand. Gerard stood up from the ground and brushed himself off. Henri watched amusedly from the porch.

"Do not feel too happy, milady. I let you win." Gerard said. Arianne huffed at him.

"You surely jest, sir." she sniffed.

"Funny words, coming from someone like you." he hinted, and walked to the porch for a drink. Arianne followed, and sat down near Henri.

"Very nicely done, my dear! Don't be so sad that your victory was forged. It was still a marvelous display." he said happily to her. She smiled, and took a sip from her tea.

"Oh, well." she said.

"So, I've heard a lot about this Jester person." Gerard said to Henri. "Apparently the Judge is raising his guard drastically now around the Palace of Justice." Henri and Arianne both nodded. Arianne especially knew about this. With the raised guard, it was much more difficult to escape the Palace of Justice. With the overwhelming numbers, she wasn't able to escape all of the attacks, sometime being hit hard. She would need to use much make-up on her face at times, and had to wear extra pieces of clothing at various places on her body. A band was wrapped currently around her wrist, hiding a rather large cut there. She now fidgeted with it, eyeing Gerard. Henri nodded at the instructor's words.

"Yes, that devil Maria's Jester has finally reached Frollo's final nerve. He's doing anything he can to capture the fiend. I worry though; should Frollo also get under the Jester's skin, they might use dear Arianne as a target!" he said. Arianne patted his arm.

"Oh, you're worried for me. How sweet."

"Something tells me that Jester won't be going after the lady Arianne." Gerard said.

"And why is that?" Henri asked.

"Their focus is on freeing Gypsies. Jester won't have really any time to go after her, there's to many to tend to." Gerard explained. Henri seemed to think about this.

"Well, true, but I still worry." he said. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost this little prize." he said. Arianne smiled politely at the meant-to-be compliment.

"Well, at least I know fencing. Maybe I can fight Jester off." she said. Henri shook his head and chuckled.

"This fellow is quite skilled, and twists and turns in the air like a snake with his sword. You would never defeat him."

"I beat Gerard!" Arianne pouted.

"But Gerard is old. He's bound to be beaten someday!"

"I take offense to that, boy!" Gerard said with a smile. "I am old, but I still have life in me yet!"

"Perhaps you should fight Maria's Jester!" Henri said. Gerard brought his finger to his chin.

"That would be quite an interesting match, to see how skilled this Jester really is." he said.

"I'm sure he would be honored to fight such a master as yourself, monsieur." Arianne said to him. He nodded.

"Perhaps..."

"Ha, but Arianne jests. This fellow has no honor! He frees Gypsy scum so that they may thwart the law yet again. He'd surely stab Gerard in the back if given the opportunity during a fair fight." Henri said. "I can't wait for your father to catch this person and burn him at the stake. That is one execution I'll be sure not to miss."

Arianne suddenly felt wary, and took a sip from her tea.

"Yes..." she said, as the image of fire around her flashed in her mind. "I can honestly say I wouldn't miss it, either..." and she became silent. Gerard looked her over, then smiled kindly.

"Ah, but I think he won't be caught so easily, Maria's Jester. This person has shown more spirit in their actions than all the guardsman on Paris put together. He would not be caught by such lazy men." he said. Arianne smiled back at him.

"Yes, I suppose." she said.

"No faith in our protectors, Gerard?" Henri asked. Gerard shrugged.

"I fought long and hard in the wars when I was young, and I've learned not to trust anybody, not even those on my side. It's a hard habit to break." he said, and stood up. "I'm going to check my horse. She's been a bit edgy lately, with all the guards swarming the streets. I hope her nerves have calmed." he said. He walked down the steps and headed for the stables. When he was gone, Henri patted Arianne on the arm.

"Alone at last!" he said. Arianne sighed heavily on the inside, but she remained calm.

"Yes, it seems so." she said.

"I have something for you, my dear." he said. Arianne looked up at him.

"Oh, Henri, I've told you I won't accept any gifts. They are so lovely, but I fear I'll become spoiled-"

"Oh, but I truly hope you will accept this one!" he said, and placed a small, black-felt box in front of her. Arianne picked it up and opened it. She gasped. It was a diamond ring, with a diamond the size of a marble. It glimmered at her, and she placed a hand over her heart.

'Oh, no...' she thought. For the past eight years she had been able to avoid this, but now it had snuck up and smacked her hard in the face. Now, she could only stare dumbstruck at the glittering jewel.

"I see you like it!" Henri said when he saw her expression. She slowly nodded.

"Y-yes, very much..." she lied.

"You do know what the diamond ring signifies, my dear..." he said. Arianne sighed, and nodded. If she refused this, than he would lose patience with her. With a headache beginning to pound at her skull, she took the ring, and placed it on her finger.

"I-I know, and I accept, Henri." she said. Henri beamed, and leaned over and kissed Arianne full on the lips before standing up from the table.

'This is marvelous! I'll prepare for the marriage. How does one month from now sound?" he asked.

"Oh, Henri, could we please be married in the summer?" she asked. Henri's face fell.

"Summer ended some weeks ago, Arianne." he said. Arianne nodded.

"Yes, but it's the perfect time for such a ceremony. The fall and winter is so cold, and spring is so rainy. Summer has so much warmth and sunshine." she said quickly. Henri thought it over, then finally nodded.

"Alright, for, you, we will wait for the finest day in summer. You are lucky I am so caring, my dear!" he said.

"Yes, and you are wonderful for it." she said.

"I am going to go write letters to my family, telling them the news!" he said, and walked into the mansion. Arianne slouched in her seat and huffed.

"Kill me, Maria..." she muttered.

"I don't think she answers such prayers.." came a voice. Gerard walked back to the porch and sat down, looking amused at her sad face. "Come now, it's not that bad, I don't think."

"Saddled for the rest of my days, with the 'air-headed rich boy...'" she said, and sat back up. She took a spoon and began to stir her tea, staring at the swirls she made.

"Hmm. I wonder what would happen if that Jester married." he said.

"They would probably have to quit their activities, with a family to worry about." she mumbled.

"I don't think so. Maybe they would only have to be more careful, and not go out as much." he said.

"I couldn't imagine their spouse finding them out one night." she said. Gerard shrugged.

"It's a high possibility, but since they helped the Gypsy folk so much, I would only imagine that his Jester is welcome at their Hall of Miracles, or whatever it's called."

"Court of Miracles, and yes, I've heard from the baker that they said Maria's Jester is welcome."

"There they go, then." he said.

"But what if they turn out to be a person the Gypsies hate as much as Frollo?" Arianne asked. Over these past eight years, she had steadily made herself out to be more like her father, making the Gypsies in turn hate her as they did Frollo. Even the Gypsy children turned away from her whenever she would pass by, seeming like they wouldn't take her money even if she offered it.

"I think a lot of explanation would be in order, but the Gypsies aren't as quick to kill someone like Frollo is. Hang first, ask questions later. Those people are not like that." he said.

"How do you know?" Arianne asked. Gerard smirked.

"I've lived a long life, and have discovered a great many things. Compassion in the Gypsies is one of those very things."

"Interesting." Arianne said. Henri appeared from the inside of the mansion, a letter in his hand.

"Gerard, check my spelling!" he said, and placed the letter in Gerard's hands.

"I'm your fencing instructor, you great fool! Not your butler!"

"My butler is out running errands! Just check it!"

"You are hopeless!"

As Gerard and Henri bickered, Arianne looked back over the green lawn. Her small shred of freedom now had a time limit, and it would be over in about a year's time.

'Maria..' she thought. 'Please make my remaining time count for something...'

...

"So, I've been told that you have been proposed to, child." Frollo said later that day when he returned home. Arianne's eyes widened, and she looked up from her book.

"Has the news spread so quickly?" she asked.

"The fact that I heard this from three gossiping women on the street, I must conclude that, yes, the news had spread quickly." he mused. "You accepted?" he asked. Arianne stood up and showed her father the diamond ring.

"You tell me, father." she said, plastering a fake smile on her face. He smiled back at her.

"Very well. When will you be wed, then?" he asked.

"Next summer." she said.

"So long from now?" he asked in surprise.

"We want it to be perfect, and summer is such a pretty season." she said. Frollo nodded.

"I see. But, remember not to lose your head in the clouds, child. Do not spoil yourself, and keep on the strict path of the Lord." he said.

"Of course, father." she said. "I would never lose my way in such a manner."

"Your confidence is reassuring. I have faith in you." he said, and walked away toward his study. Arianne watched him leave. When he was gone, she looked into the fireplace, remembering what he had confessed to the fire all those years ago. Te familiar rage burned in her heart, but she quelled it. She wouldn't allow that to take her over.

"But I won't allow forgiveness, either..." she muttered, and turned back to her book.

...

"Oh, miss Arianne, you are sure you won't need me?" Marice asked. Arianne looked at the aged caretaker and smiled.

"I'll only be spending some weeks at the summer home, Marice." she said. "I can go it alone." Arianne attached the small bag of provisions to her white horse. It was two week after she had become Henri's fiance, and she had suddenly claimed that she was in much need of peace and quiet, which was true. She needed desperately to get away from the constant questioning from the women of her church and the nagging of her caretaker. It was too annoying to bear. So, she would spend one much needed month alone at the summer home that was just outside of Paris, and in the country.

Arianne hopped up on the horse, and looked down at Marice. "I'll be fine, Marice, really. I'm a grown woman. Twenty-five, to be exact!" she said. Two guards on grey horses trotted up to her, and she sighed. "Oh, what is it?" she asked.

"We've been ordered to escort you to the edge of the city, milady." one guard said in a gruff voice. Arianne sighed.

"Oh, don't you roll your eyes and pout, miss." Marice said. "You're father is only worried for you!"

"I know, I know! At least he trusts me enough to ride through the country..." she said. She patted her bag of provisions, which carried a some apples and her Jester's outfit. She wouldn't be able to bring her sword, but she figured she'd just steal one from the blacksmith's shop that night. She was thankful that the summer home was only some hours away, so she would still be able to come back at night.

And so she left, leaving Marice waving worriedly goodbye to her. Frollo watched as she left.

"May God watch over her." he muttered once, then turned back to his business.

...

Arianne had only spent about four hours at the home before she began to prepare for the night. The home was quaint, with two stories. It wasn't at all large, but it was well kept, and surrounded by fields of grass, with not a neighbor for miles. The silence was much appreciated.

Now, she was heading out. The sun was beginning to set, and she wore a black cloak to cover her outfit. She ran from home, not bothering to use her horse. It would only prove to be an obstacle, something for her to care for while she was out, and she didn't need that kind of baggage.

When she finally reached the city, it had just become dark. She sat down on a crate for a few moments to catch her breath. Though running long distances was now easy for her, she had never run that far for that long before, and she was feeling a bit drained.

After her heartbeat went back to it's normal, calm beat, she began her patrol. Sure enough, not only three hours into her roaming, she caught sight of two guards dragging two Gypsy children from a small pastry shop. The owner of the shop was screaming his head off at them, accusing them of stealing. Them being children, it was probably true.

"Hang them from the highest tower of Notre Dame, for all I care, just make sure they never come back here!" he shouted, and slammed his door shut. Arianne curled her lip at his words. Hanging children for stealing a bit of treats. Disgusting. She hopped up to the rooftops and followed them, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"Leggo of me, mister!" said the little girl. She looked to Arianne to be only six or seven. The boy, who remained quiet, seemed older, perhaps ten.

"You two are gonna get quite the whipping." one guard growled.

"Maybe we should do as the shop keeper said, and stretch their necks. Their scum parents will just pop more out anyway." said the other. At this, the little girl began to cry. The boy whispered to her words of reassurance.

"It's okay, Mala. Maria is watching over us." he said. "She'll send her Jester for us."

"That Jester is gon' be burned for interfering with the law." one guard said.

"She wouldn't be caught by the likes of you!" The boys said. The guard reached around and smacked the boy hard with his metal glove. The boy grunted, but didn't cry out.

"Marko, are you okay?" the girl cried out. He nodded slowly, glaring up at the guard. Arianne became furious when she saw the blood trail from his mouth, and she pounced. She landed on the guard's shoulders, sending him to the ground.

"You don't hit children for speaking the truth, cur!" she hissed, and punched the other guard hard in the face before he could eve react to her sudden presence. She snatched his sword from his belt, and held it up to his throat. He gulped., and didn't move. The children, who had been freed from the guards' grasps, stood off to the side, their eyes wide.

"Look out!" the girl cried when the guard Arianne knocked down had stood back up, sword in hand. Arianne ducked when he swung, and he hit his comrade right in the chest. Luckily for him, the armor stopped the sword from making a critical hit, and left only a scratch and a thin dent.

The guard who was hit took a whistle from around his neck and blew into it, sending a shrill sound through the air, calling for more guards.

"Shit..." Arianne muttered when, just seconds later, guards from different directions came running, their eyes lighting up with bloodlust when their gazes fell on her.

"What's wrong, Jester? You seem agitated!" Said one guard loudly. "Afraid that you may be unmasked tonight?!" Arianne shook her head, and only chuckled as a reply.

"What's so funny?" another guard asked. She pointed to behind him, and all the guards looked to where she was pointing. They saw nothing, and they turned to look back at her. They gawked when they found that she and the children disappeared.

"Dammit!"

"That witch!"

"Over there!" One guard motioned to down the street, where they saw she was running away, the girl in her arms and the boy on her heels. They cried in outrage and began their pursuit.

"Split up and surround her from all sides!" one called, and they did just that, different teams turning down different paths, their minds focused on the hunt for Maria's Jester.

"Thank you for helping us, mam'zelle!" the boy said as they ran.

"Don't thank just me yet, child." she said. "We aren't yet out of the woods..." they ran down one path, but the light of torches and the angry calls of the guards made them backtrack. They tried another path, and another, each resulting with them being forced back by a group of guards.

"They're everywhere!" the boy said. Arianne cursed.

"They're actually getting smarter..."she said in disbelief.

"Why can't those meanies just stay stupid?" the girl asked. Arianne patted her black hair in reassurance, and kept running. They were eventually forced to a deadend, and a million thoughts crossed Arianne's mind as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Over there! She's cornered!" came a guards voice, followed by a cruel cheer from his comrades. The girl in Arianne's arms began to cry, and the boy narrowed his eyes at the oncoming men. Arianne looked up at the rooftops, then down to the boy.

"Marko, right?" she asked. He looked up at her and nodded. She sat the girl down and lanced her fingers together to make a kind of stand. "I'm going to lift you up to the roof, and I'm going to send your sister up. You take her, and run for the Court. Don't look back, alright?" she said. The boy gulped then nodded before placing his foot on her hands and being hoisted up into the air. He grabbed the roof edge, and swung himself up. Arianne then sent the girl up, and he caught her hand and lifted her up with him.

"Let's go, Jester!" he called. She shook her head when he offered his hand. She could jump that far, and there was nothing she could use to bring herself higher.

"Go, now!" she yelled at them, and turned to face the guards. She took the sword she stole from them from her belt and prepared herself to fight. There were so many of them...

The first guard that reached her, she took out easily, bashing the hilt of her sword against his face, making him crumple to the ground. Then came three more, each slashing savagely at her. She flinched when one cute her leg.

"You won't escape this one, wretch!" the guard that cut her yelled. "Frollo will love watching you writhe in that fire!"

"Shut up and fight!" she hissed, and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him backwards and toppling the other two. Another ran forward and locked swords with her. She placed her free hand on the flat of her blade and pushed him back.

"No!" the girl cried from above. Before Arianne could realize why she cried out, she felt a sharp pain in her side. She blinked, and looked down to see the guard she had smashed in the face earlier had stabbed her. A cheer came from the others, and Arianne staggered back. She fell to the ground, red spots clouding her vision. She coughed blood.

"We got you now..." the guard that stabbed her said, and he twisted the blade. She cried out in pain, and laughter erupted from the guards. He stood, his nose broken, and he pulled the sword out from her. He leaned over the girl. "You would sacrifice yourself to save some scum Gypsies? I bet you are one..." he said, and lifted her by the front of her shirt. He leaned closer, and she could smell his acrid breath. "When we're done with you, we're gonna get those kids, and your work'll be for nuthin'...hell, maybe we'll kill 'em right in front of your eyes, just to add insult to injury..."

Arianne growled in rage. She grabbed her sword and slashed at him, placing a large gash across his face. He let her go and jumped back, howling in pain. She forced herself up and slashed his throat, the blood spraying her mask. He fell, dead. She looked at the guards through her mask, and she straightened up, the blood still leaking from the open wound in her stomach. They looked back at her in horror. In all her years as Maria's Jester, she had never killed one of them. Now she stared at them, her poise straight and her attire bloodied. She looked more like a demon than a Jester.

"She killed him."

"Someone get her!"

"Hell no, she's still standing after that! She should be dead!"

"A witch."

"A sorceress."

"No, not a sorceress." Arianne said, making them shut up. "Nor am I a witch. I'm simply a jester." she said, and bowed to them. They growled at her, and began to walk forward. They didn't see the arrow be shot at them, and it hit one guard in the shoulder, piercing his armor and his flesh. He cried out, and everyone, including Arianne, looked around in shock. More arrows came, most of them hitting the guards.

"It's an ambush!"

"We need to get out of here!"

"But the Jester-"

"Leave that scum. With that wound they'll be dead by morning!" the guards yelled, and ran from the alley and away from the onslaught of arrows. When they were gone, the arrows stopped, leaving Arianne alone in silence. The fire in her died out, and the pain from her wound came back ten-fold. She grunted, and pressed her hand against the wound. Blood gushed out from it, and tears fell from her eyes. She tried walking forward, but was only able to take a few steps before falling. She never hit the ground though, and was instead caught by someone. He looked up to see a Gypsy man, dressed in all black. He picked her up, an she tried to struggle.

"Don't worry, Jester, I'm here to help." he said. Arianne looked up at him.

"The children.." she said. He nodded.

"My children to be exact. Right over there." he said, and turned so she could see the children looking worriedly back at her. "Thank you for fighting for them." he said, then began to walk with her in his arms.

"Wh-where are we going?" she asked.

"The Court of Miracles, where you will be cared for." he said. Arianne tried to struggle again, but she was so weak, and her energy was gone. The red spots that clouded her vision grew larger.

"Can't. Not there..." she whispered. "Not.." she couldn't finish, because the red she saw turned black, and she slipped from consciousness.

She woke up again, hardly, and her eyes opened to see darkness. She heard water being walked through, and it was cold. Her eyes closed again, she couldn't keep them open.

"What have we here?" came a voice.

"Maria's Jester. She was harmed badly while fighting off guards." the man who held her replied.

"Quickly, get her to Jaelle, before she loses more blood!" said the voice, which was now slightly panicked. She felt fingers touch her mask, and, using what strength she had left, she slapped it away.

"No.." she muttered, before slipping back into unconsciousness.


	10. Discovered

"Uuuugh, shit..." Arianne said when she woke up. She opened her eyes, and looked up at a colorful canopy over her head. She scrunched her brow, and raised her hand and rubbed her eyes. She froze. Where was she? Where was her mask?

Arianne sat up quickly, and flinched in pain. She looked down to see she was dressed in fresh clothing, a red tunic and black leggings. Her tunic was raised to show her pale stomach. A bandage covered where she had been stabbed. She started to panic and looked wildly around.

She was in a large tent, made from different pieces of cloth sewn together. Some furniture was present. She sat on a bed, with pillows and blankets covering it. A persian rug covered most of the dirt floor, and painted clay pots of different sizes littered the area. It smelled heavily of herbs.

Arianne heard noises from outside, and saw shadows pass by the tent. She began to shake, trying desperately to find out where she was. She looked next to her and found her Jester's outfit, still bloodied, in a heap on the floor. Her mask lay on top of the pile, blood drops sprinkling it and making it look rater disturbing.

She snatched up her mask and put it on, then tried to stand. Her stomach was sore, but she forced herself to manage. She walked quickly to the entrance of the tent and opened the folds slightly so she could peek outside. She almost fainted.

Outside was a gigantic area, easily four times the size of the city square in Paris. All over, there were more colorful tents. Torches along the walls lit the area brightly, as if the sun itself was shining down. Gypsies filled it, and they all talked and laughed with one another. Some practiced music and danced, while others sewed and lit small fires in front of their tents to cook over.

A very small child, hardly two years old, walked up to were Arianne was peeking from and looked up at the mask. Arianne looked back at them, and the child laughed.

"Kizzy, come back here, baby! Oh, I never should have taught you to walk!" came the mother's voice. Arianne ducked back into the tent, and watched as the shadow of the mother picked up the shadow of the child.

"Ma', mask!" said the babe.

"Oh, you're speaking nonsense. Let's go, baby." the mother said lovingly, and Arianne watched as the shadow walked off.

"I need to get the hell out of here..." she said quietly to herself. She looked around quickly for something to cover herself. She found a chest of clothing, and she removed a long cloak to cover her pail skin. Once it was on and she pulled up the hood, she peeked out again, making sure no one was looking before she slipped out of the tent.

She kept close to the stone wall, pulling her hood over her masked face so no one would notice her. She looked desperately around for an exit before walking on. She finally found a tunnel on the other side of the court, that held a gate just above it that w=could be lowered in case intruders appeared.

Pulling the hood farther down to hide her face, she quickly walked in the exit's direction. When she was just halfway across, she heard some old woman shout from behind, "Maria's Jester is missing!" Arianne cursed as the attention of nearly every Gypsy turn their head to the tent she was just in. She upped her pace, passing and weaving around Gypsies as she went.

"There she is! She's wearing my cloak!" the old woman said, and Arianne suddenly felt the eyes of the Gypsies on her.

"Shit!" she broke into a run, clutching her stomach. The Gypsies pursued her, and she hopped over some crates to get away from them. There was no escaping them though, since there were so many and they all gathered around her. One reached forward and tried to grab her, but she backflipped away from him, earning some sounds of awe from the crowd. She, in her state, was able to do that. The landing was painful though, and she buckled, falling to her knees.

She tried to stand, but two Gypsies subdued her and picked her up, each one holding one of her arms tightly. She tried to get free, but the pain in her stomach overwhelmed her. She could only curse and gasp.

"Well, rise and shine, _ma cherie! _You've finally woken up after two days. That's some nap!" said someone. Arianne's brow rose; that voice was familiar. She looked up to see the crowd had parted slightly to allow Clopin Trouillefou walk forward. A gold hoop earring hung from his left ear, something Arianne hadn't seen before, and he wore a purple tunic, and leggings. He walked up to her and removed his hat, then bowed. When he straightened up, he smiled. "Leaving so soon? I'm afraid we can't let you do that until you're all healed up, _fleur_!"

Arianne growled in great agitation, and Clopin tsked. "Now, that is no way to treat someone who's looking out for you!" he said.

"Let me go, Clopin..." she hissed. An old woman, the one who had pointed her out to the crowd, ran up to Arianne. The large woman's hair was grey, short, and straight, and was held back with a bandanna. She was short, and her wrists were covered with bracelets.

"Oh, miss, are you alright?" she asked, and raised Arianne's tunic to view the bandage. Some blood now stained it, and the woman tsked. "You may have torn the stitches." she said. No one but Arianne heard her though, as they were too busy staring at her pail skin. Clopin's eyes were wide.

"And here I thought you would be just even a_ little_ tan with Romani blood, madame!" he said. "But, it seems we have a Parisian here!" The crowd murmured in surprise at the news.

"A Parisian?"

"How strange."

"I wonder why she's doing this?"

Arianne listened to all the talk around her, confused at their surprise. She looked at the old woman, who patted the top of her head.

"No one knows but me, miss." she said. Arianne gulped.

"Are you serious?" she asked in a squeak. The woman nodded sadly.

"Jaelle! I think it's high time we found out who this young lady is, eh?" Clopin said, and reached for Arianne's mask. Arianne flinched back, and the old woman, Jaelle, walked in front of her.

"King, I don't think that is wise." she said, eyeing the crowd. Clopin didn't listen, and waved off the comment. He stepped closer to Arianne, and reached out again. Jaelle grabbed his hand. "At least promise me you will not act rashly." she said in worry. Clopin cocked his head to the side.

"And why would I act rashly? She is a savior! Now, let me see her!" he said, and reached forward. As he took off her mask, one of the men holding her removed the hood of the cloak. Her long silver spilled out over her shoulders, and her pale face was now in the open, for all to see. The collective gasp that filled the court was very loud, and Arianne saw Clopin become rigid at the sight of her. The men holding her let go, and she fell to her knees. Jaelle helped her back up, and she looked at Clopin.

"This, Clopin, is why you would possibly act rashly." she said. A mixture of shock and anger filled Clopin's face, and he dropped the mask to the ground before stalking off. Jaelle tsked and began walking Arianne back to her tent. "Such a foolish boy. Come dear, I need to fix your stitches." Arianne didn't even protest, she just walked with the woman, watching as the crowd parted to let them through. The Gypsies talked quietly to each other, eyeing the girl with great suspicion.

When they reached her tent, Jaelle brought Arianne back to the bed and layed her down. "Now, you stay put and let me work on you. If you sit still for a week or so, this'll get all healed up." she said.

"Thank you, ma'am, for your kindness." Arianne said quietly. Jaelle walked up with a needle and thread.

"This is the least I can do for you saving my grandbabies." she said, and set to work removing the bandage.

"Those kids from last night were your grandchildren?" Arianne asked.

"Nope, the two reckless boys you saved all those years ago are though. They wanted to see ya while you slept these past two days, but I wouldn't let anybody but myself to look at your person. Didn't want to shock the entire court just yet..."

"Thank you..."Arianne said, and flinched when the woman pierced her skin with the needle.

"No point in thanking me now; you ruined the entire plan just now with your attempt to disappear."

"Sorry, I was just...afraid." Arianne said. Jaelle smiled sadly.

"Yes, well, I can understand that. Being the Judge's young'un, and being in the middle of the very place he's so desperately searching for, surrounded by Gypsies who hate your family, it's natural for you to be scared." she said. Arianne smirked.

"Thanks for laying it all out there for me, doc." she said. The tent flaps opened, and a woman walked in. She looked at Arianne.

"So, it's true." she said. Jaelle nodded.

"This is Drina, the mother of the children you saved a couple nights ago." she said to Arianne, who nodded, and looked at the woman. Drina stared at her for long moments before walking forward and falling to her knees. Before Arianne could react, Drina took her hand in hers and kissed it. Arianne blinked, and watched as tears fell from her eyes. Drina began to speak in Romani to Arianne, who became utterly confused at the strange language. Jaelle chuckled.

"She's thanking you, girl. That's the gist of it." she said. When Drina stopped talking, she looked up to Arianne.

"Um, you're welcome?" Arianne said. Drina smiled.

"You are a good person. I don't care who you are related to. You saved my babies, and you took all this damage to ensure they stayed safe. I am in your debt." she said. Just then, Arianne's stomach growled, and she blushed.

"Could we call it even if you brought me something to eat, please?" she asked, and Drina smiled and nodded.

"I will cook a very fine meal for you!" she said, and rushed off to her own tent, leaving Arianne and Jaelle alone.

"See? Some Gypsies like you." Jaelle said, and tied her finished stitch, then snapped the remaining thread off. She placed a fresh bandage over it and pulled down Arianne's tunic. "Now, sit still for a few days, and you should be able to get up and walk around. The soreness won;t go away for a while yet, but that'll just have to be lived with."

"Thank you." Arianne said, and sat up and leaned against some pillows. "Is this tent yours?" she asked.

"Yes."

"This is your only bed. Have I stolen it from you?"

"Yes, but don't worry. I'll kick you out of it when you're able to walk without falling over." Jaelle said with an amused expression. Arianne smiled.

"Alright. So, will that be when I leave then?" she asked. Jaelle's expression changed to that of unease.

"I don't know if you can leave, hun." she said.

"Why not?"

"Well, think of who you are, dear. Some Gypsies may trust you, like Drina, but many of them are very wary now. They don't want you opening your mouth to Frollo-"

"I would die first!" Arianne said loudly in outrage. Jaelle patted the girls arm.

"Calm yourself, or you'll never heal. As I was saying, they need to trust you, before they can even consider letting you go."

"And when will that be? Next year? I can't stay here, Jaelle. My father will grow suspicious-"

"And that is exactly the argument you need to bring up with Clopin!" Jaelle said. "He is the only one that can either grant your freedom or keep you here-"

"_CLOPIN!_" Arianne yelled at the top of her voice, making Jaelle cover her ears and roll her eyes. Some people hushed outside for a moment, then resumed what they were doing.

"You are quite loud when you want to be, Maria's Jester." Jaelle said, then sighed and picked up Arianne's Jester outfit. "I'll fix this up for you so you can wear it again."

"Thank you, Jaelle, but what I really want it to speak with that foolish, arrogant, idiotic, womanizing trickster_ Clopin Trouillefou!_" she said.

"Will you _keep it down_!" came an angry voice. Arianne and Jaelle looked up to see Clopin walking in, his expression angry and serious. Drina walked in behind him, a bowl of stew in her hands. She walked quickly up to Arianne, gave her the bowl, then departed without another word, Clopin staring sternly at her as she did so. Arianne frowned at him.

"You scared off my friend!" she said before hungrily taking a bite from the stew. Her eyes widened. She'd never tasted anything so delicious. "Holy hell, that's wonderful stuff." she said, and took another bite.

"Back to why you shouted my name!" Clopin said. Arianne suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be angry, and she glared up at the Gypsy.

"I want to leave as soon as I'm healed!" she demanded.

"No." he said as a simple reply.

"But my father will suspect-"

"You're father will suspect nothing!"

"And just how-"

"You're supposed to be staying at that house in the country, yes?" he asked. Arianne nodded.

"How did-"

"And you'll be staying for a month at least, yes?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then we will just have you write a letter saying you have extended your stay!"

"And if I don't?" she asked angrily. He narrowed his eyes.

"Then we just hang you and drop your body off at the Palace of Justice!" he said. Arianne's eyes widened, and she nearly dropped her food. "Either way, if your papa even suspects that the Gypsies have taken you, then a full-on _war_ will be started! Take your pick, girl. Either stay here alive, or return to the city _dead_!" he shouted, and left Arianne and Jaelle alone. Jaelle frowned and shook her head.

"He is angry, that is all." she said, and looked at Arianne. She froze when she saw the girl's expression of fear and hurt.

"Th-that horrible...evil..." Arianne set her food down and buried her face in her hands. Jaelle, sat next to her and rubbed her back, whispering soothing words in an attempt to calm her.

"You'll have to forgive Clopin. Yes, what he said was cruel, but you must understand. He has many people to protect, and your presence here is very scary for him."

"I hate this..." Arianne said.

"Don't worry, it'll get better. Now, wipe that fearful expression off your face." Jaelle said, and took Arianne's hands away from her face for her to see. She held the girl's chin firmly in her hand. "You may be a prisoner, but you ae still Maria's Jester, dammit! You keep your head high in front of those people, and show them you aren't afraid. If you can't get their trust, you can at least get their respect." Arianne looked at the old woman and nodded. "Now, smile for Jaelle, and you can finish eating."

Arianne smiled, and Jaelle patted her cheek before handing her back the food that Drina made.


	11. New Look

The next day, Arianne sat outside Jaelle's tent in a wooden rocking chair. The woman had tried to make Arianne wear a dress at least until her Jester's outfit was done being repaired, but Arianne refused. She didn't even want to see a dress.

Now, she sat there, in her tunic and leggings, reading a book that Jaelle had provided. Arianne had already read that story, but at least it gave her something to do while she healed.

"U-um, excuse me, miss Jester." came a small voice. Arianne looked over to see Mala, the girl she had saved the other night, looking wide-eyed up at her, with her hands hidden behind her back.

"Yes?" she asked. The girl jumped at Arianne's voice, and hesitated. Arianne put on a reassuring smile. "What is it, child?" she asked quietly.

"I-I um..." Mala then brought her hands from behind her, and showed Arianne that she was holding her mask, which had broken into two large pieces. "I was brining it back, but I tripped, and it broke..." she said. Arianne took the two pieces and looked them over. She felt a little bad about losing her mask, since she'd had it for so long.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to punish you." she said. Mala began to shake.

"Wh-what?" she asked. Arianne leaned over and smiled at the girl.

"You, little girl, are going to have to help me find a new mask." she said. Mala calmed down almost instantly, and frowned up and Arianne.

"You scared the heck outta me!" she said. Arianne laughed.

"I'm a scary person, aren't I?"

"Well, now you aren't. You're just a girl now. Can I call you Ari?"

"Oh, making nicknames for me now?"

"Yeah, so?" Mala said, and Arianne smirked.

"Alright, sure, why not?" she said, and set the mask pieces on her lap.

"Okay!" Mala said happily, and pointed back to her tent a ways down. "You wanna play with me and my brother?" she asked.

"Sorry, child, but I'm not going to be able to walk around for another couple of days." Arianne said, pointing to her stomach. Mala looked at it and nodded.

"Oooh, I forgot. Darn. Well, can I bring my brother over to play here?" she asked. Arianne smiled and nodded.

"Sure, that would be fun. Besides, I needed something interesting to happen before I turned into a mushroom..." she said. Mala giggled, and ran off for her tent.

"Making friends with the children?" Jaelle asked, coming out of the tent.

"Yeah, Mala is very sweet. She broke my mask though."

"It was old and covered in blood anyway. You'll get a new one." she said.

"Yeah, I know." Arianne said. "But I'll still keep this one safe."

"Well, let me have it and I'll wrap it up." Jaelle said, and took the pieces into her tent.

"Ari! Ari! I'm back!" Mala said a moment later. She ran up to Arianne, alone.

"Was your brother not up to it?" Arianne asked. Mala shook her head.

"He says he has better things to do, but I just think he's shy." she said. In her hand she held a little dragon hand puppet.

"Who's that little guy?" Arianne asked, pointing to it. Mala smiled.

"This is Bo. Clopin made him for me when I was little." she said. Arianne frowned at Clopin's name.

"Oh, that guy..." she muttered, and crossed her arms.

"Clopin's really good! You'll see!" Mala said, and sat down next to Arianne on the ground.

"Oh, don't sit on the ground. Come sit on my lap." Arianne said. Mala smiled wider and stood.

"Won't I hurt your tummy though?" she asked, crawling up on Arianne's lap anyway.

"I'll be fine."

"What were you reading?"

"A book called 'Alice's Adventures in the Underground'." Arianne answered.

"Is it good?"

"Oh, it's wonderful. It has rabbits with vests on, and smiling cats, and a hookah smoking caterpillar, and playing cards that chase a little girl around." Arianne said. Mala's eyes widened at the description.

"Clopin's never told a story like that before..." she said.

"Well, Clopin tells his own stories."

"Have you ever heard him tell a story?"

"When I was very little, yes."

"Wow, you knew him that long?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Can you read me this story please?"

"Certainly." Arianne opened the book back to the first page, and Mala leaned back against her chest. "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister  
on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading..."

...

A few days later, just as Jaelle had said, Arianne was able to walk around without feeling too bad.

"You can remove the bandages to, but don't go doing anything silly until those stitches are out, you hear me?" she said, and Arianne nodded happily. She no longer had to stay close to the tent. "And I'm going to have a small tent built for you next to mine, just to put some sleeping supplies in there. I'm taking my bed back. Pillows don't cut it for this old body. You can still use my tent as a living space." Arianne hugged Jaelle.

"Thank you so much, doc. You've helped me out a lot." she said Jaelle patted her on the back.

"Just doing my job, girl, now I finished your little outfit." she said, and broke from the hug. She walked over to her large chest and opened it. She took out Arianne's Jester outfit and handed it to her. Arianne took it gratefully. "I made some minor adjustments. I hope you don't mind that." Jaelle said, and Arianne unfolded the outfit curiously to se what the woman had meant. She gasped.

It seemed like the colors, which had faded over the years, were fresh and vibrant. At the hem of her tunic, a pattern of flowers, thorn vines, and crosses were stitched expertly in black thread, and it showed up in bold against the array of colors on the fabric. She looked at her long hood, and noticed the same design, a little thinner, ran down it to the very tip. At the neckline, a small silver cross with a red stone in its center hung. Her black gloves each had a rose pattern stitched in white on the back of them.

"Oh, my gosh, Jaelle, I don't know what to say-"

"And your shoes were pretty worn down, so I tossed those and got you these." Jaelle said, and presented a pair of black, knee-high leather boots with silver buckles on the sides. Arianne took them. She couldn't believe it...

"These are amazing-"

"And finally-"

"There's _more_?!" Arianne couldn't hide the shock in her face. Jaelle chuckled.

"Just one more item. I noticed you didn't have your sword on you, so...I'll let you have this. From what I heard your old one was cheap anyway. This'll work better for you." she said, and went to a long thin case and picked it up. She brought it over to Arianne and handed it to her to open. Arianne placed the case on her lap and opened it with a shaking hand.

She wanted to faint. Inside the case was an elegant sword. The hilt was silver, and was laden with different gems and floral designs. The blade was thin, like Arianne liked them to be, and it shined brightly. She noticed it was a few inches longer than her other sword.

"Who's was this?" she asked in a squeak.

"My husband's." Jaelle said. "He was hung a few years ago for helping some Gypsies get into Paris safely. They escaped the guards that waited for them because he held them back. You show the same spirit he did, and I think this sword has waited long enough for a new owner..." she said. Arianne felt a lump in her throat, and tears stung her eyes.

"Oh, Jaelle..." she said, and placed the sword back into the case. She closed it, and hugged the old woman tightly. "You're too kind to me."

"You've shown a good deal of kindness as well, girl, saving those who you owe nothing to, and you ask for nothing in return. You...are an odd Parisian."

"And you are a wonderful Gypsy." Arianne said when she pulled back.

"Now get changed. I want to see you in it all." Jaelle said with a bit of excitement. Arianne did just as she was told. After she slipped on her new boots, which fit her perfectly, she looked at the box the sword was held in.

"I don't have a sheath for the sword." she said.

"Ah, that. Here it is." Jaelle said, and took a brown black sheath from her chest. Arianne took it gratefully and wrapped it around her waist. When she buckled it tight, she took the sword and sheathed it. It was a perfect fit, and felt lighter than her other sword. She felt like a thousand gold pieces when she saw her reflection in Jaelle's small mirror. "You look beautiful, my dear." Jaelle said, and placed the mirror down.

"I wouldn't look even a little like this if you didn't help me, Jaelle."

"Yes, well, that's true. Now go walk around. Visit Mala or something. She'd love to see Maria's Jester all fixed up." Jaelle said. Arianne nodded. She put her hair up in a high ponytail, leaving two tufts of it down to frame her face. She took a breath, and walked out from the tent, then headed down to Drina's tent to visit Mala.

On her way, she caught glimpses of Gypsies stopping and giving small gasps of surprise. There this girl was, dressed in her Jester's outfit, missing only her mask. They seemed to become wary when they saw the new sword she carried with her. She kept her hand on the hilt, mentally daring anyone to try and take it from her.

When she reached Drina's tent, she tapped on the fabric. Drina opened the fabric, and she gasped and smiled at Arianne.

"Oh, miss, you look wonderful!" she said.

"As do you, ma'am." Arianne said. Drina blushed.

"Oh, you needn't be calling me ma'am." she said.

"And you needn't be calling me miss. Arianne will do." Arianne said. "I was wondering if Mala would like to walk around the court with me. I'd like to learn about this place-"

"Okay, let's go!" Mala said, suddenly appearing from nowhere and beaming up at Arianne. "Wow, you look amazing!" she said. Arianne patted the girl on the head before looking back to Drina.

"Would you like to come to? I'd like to get to know you better." she said. Drina smiled.

"I suppose I can leave for a short while. Dinner doesn't need to be made for another few hours anyway." she said.

"Alright then!" Arianne said, and Drina walked from her tent to join her and Mala. As they walked, Mala pointed out many things, describing them quickly so she could hurry and get to explaining the next thing she pointed at.

"And that's Roan's tent he makes lots of instruments and can play aaaall of 'em and that's Ghimli's tent he's like the court butcher-any meat you want, he can get for you if you can't go above ground and that's Tashi's tent she's a great seamstress she made my dress I'm wearing now!" she said, and took a deep breath.

"Wow, that's a mouth full, girl. Take some breaths before you pass out from lack of air." Arianne said in amusement. Mala smiled wide.

"Mama says I got my daddy's tongue, and that I talk just as fast as he does!" she said with pride in her voice.

"Yes, and she's not yet realized that's not a compliment." Drina said quietly, and Arianne chuckled.

"Jester!" someone called. Arianne looked up curiously. She saw Marko, and he looked very serious.

"Marko, what are you doing, boy?" Drina asked. His seriousness fell a bit at the sight tof his mother.

"Uh-um. I wanted to know if you could teach me the sword skill!" he asked Arianne quickly. She blinked in surprise. She walked up to him.

"Why do you want to learn this so early?" she asked. "You're what, only ten?" he frowned at her guess of his age.

"I am eleven and a half, thank you! And I wanted to learn, because, because I was helpless that other night! I hated having to rely on someone else to keep me and my sister safe! And, when I saw you on the ground, I hated not being able to help!" he said. Arianne raised her brow at this, and she cocked her head to the side.

"Do you have any rapiers for us to use? Or wooden swords would work to." she said. Marko looked surprised.

"You'll teach me?" he asked. Arianne nodded.

"I'd love to! But I can't without practice weapons, and I don't think your mama or papa would appreciate me using real weapons on you!" she said. Marko's seriousness faded away and was replaced by utter joy.

"I have some old rapiers that papa got for me to play with! We could use those!"

"Good! Now all you need is your mama's consent, and we can begin in a little while." Arianne said. Marko furrowed his brow.

"Why do I need her consent?" he asked. Arianne crossed her arms.

"The first few weeks, you're going to get a lot of bumps and bruises, and I don't want them getting angry about it." she said. Marko looked warily over to his mother, who looked sternly back.

"Ma', please?" he asked. Drina stared at him for a moment, then finally nodded.

"I guess, just don't give Arianne a hard time, and do as she says!" she said. Marko punched the air in triumph.

"I promise I'll be the best student!" he said, and ran off. Arianne went back to walking with Drina and Mala, feeling rather smug.

"_I_ have a student." she bragged to Drina, who laughed.

"And _I_ have a son, miss Jester girl. Don't you get him into trouble now." she said.

"Please, Drina, I am Maria's Jester! I spend all my time getting people _out _of trouble!"

"Yes, and see where it's gotten you." Drina teased, and poked Arianne's stomach lightly. Arianne pouted.

"Your kids' fault, just saying." she said.

"And don't worry, they were punished for that, weren't you, Mala?" Drina asked the little girl. She looked up at them and frowned.

"My butt still hurts sometimes..." she said meekly.

Arianne smirked, and Mala returned to teaching her about the court.

...

"Ow!"

"I told you you would be hurting the first few weeks, did I not?"

"It's fine! I got it!" Marko stood up and brushed himself off, then returned to the pose that Arianne had taught him to take. It was a week later, and Arianne was finally allowed to teach Marko swordplay. She would have begun her instruction the day he asked for it, but Jaelle said no as soon as she heard of it.

"I tell you not to do anything stupid and here you are offering lessons!" she had said sternly.

Now Arianne was able to teach him. Her wound was feeling much better and she would be able to remove the stitches in another week.

"Now remember, you're only learning defense now!" she said. "Only try and block my attacks, don't attack."

"Why do I need to learn defense first?" he asked.

"Because, I'd rather get into a sword fight with only the knowledge to defend myself then get in one where I can't even block a silly little swipe. Now get ready, and watch closely." she said, and went for him again. She swung down, and he did just as she had taught him, blocking her rapier before it struck his side. She grinned. "Good!"

"I did it!" he said, and Arianne swung again before he could react, hitting him on the arm. "Ow, ow, ow! What was that for!" he asked. Arianne smirked.

"Your enemy isn't going to stop and wait for you to end your excitement over a block. They're going to keep coming at you, and you need to keep your eyes and ears sharp!" she said, and swung again. He blocked it, and she smiled. "Good, again!"


	12. Crossing Swords

"Clopin, you've been sulking since that girl has been here..."

"Correction! I have been sulking since I found out who said girl is!" Clopin said. He sat in his tent sewing together a new doll. He looked incredulously at it. "I am not understanding why your little girl was suddenly in the need of a blue caterpillar and a grinning cat..." his eyes went to the man who was sitting near him.

"Mala said that the Frollo girl read her quite the tale a while ago, and she hasn't stopped talking about it since." he said. Clopin scoffed, and leaned back in his seat.

"So, it is _her_ fault for placing silly ideas in her head..."

"You must remember that you have also shared in the placing of silly ideas in the heads of children..." the man said.

"You are supposed to be taking my side, Miro..." Clopin muttered, and set the blue caterpillar doll down. Miro tsked at his King.

"It's difficult for me to choose sides in this matter. Either side with my King, who leads us and protects us, or with Maria's Jester, who saved my two children and was inflicted with much damage in the process. I am in her debt just as I am in your service, Clopin." he explained, and laced his fingers together. "I think you should apologize to her."

Clopin nearly fell out of his seat, and had to grab the table in front of him to keep from doing so.

"_What?_" he asked in disbelief. "And why in all of Paris would I apologize to that-"

"You were also saved by Maria's Jester. _Twice_, if I recall correctly..." Miro said, silencing Clopin, who crossed his arms and looked away. Miro went on. "You didn't tell many people about that night so many years ago, when your father was killed. You told me though. Clopin, that girl risked everything to save all of you when she was only a tiny child. 'You don't see that kind of bravery in little ones.'; that's what you said, remember? You had to mean something to her to make her go those lengths..." Clopin muttered under his breath a mixture of things.

"Nonsense...really..." he said. Miro gave a gruff breath and rubbed his hair before standing.

"Really, if you're going to act like a child about this, King, then I'm going to have to side with the Jester on this one. While you stew in your tent, she's at least walking about and getting along. She's even taken my son up on fencing lessons, something that I appreciate. I am very honored to have someone so skilled willing to teach my kin."

"Then why don't you go talk with her, then..." Clopin grumbled, and picked the doll he was making back up to finish. Miro cast Clopin one last sad glance before leaving him alone in his tent.

When he was gone, Clopin stopped his sewing and looked over at a small portrait of his father and mother. Their painted faces both looked serenely back at him. "I suspect you're agreeing with Miro, then?" he asked them with hooded eyes and a dull tone. Another moment of him eyeing the picture passed before he threw his hands in the air in defeat. "Fine! Fine! I might as well get it over with, but don't blame me if my words don't reach her stubborn ears!" he said to them. He put the doll carefully down on the table before taking his hat and walking briskly from his tent.

He found her by Jaelle's tent, her Jester outfit on and giving lessons to Miro's son. He sighed heavily, and walked over to her.

"Ow, ow, ow! What was that for?" Marko asked angrily after she snuck an attack at his arm.

"Your enemy isn't going to stop and wait for you to end your excitement over a block. They're going to keep coming at you, and you need to keep your eyes and ears sharp!" she said, and swung at him once again. He blocked it, and she smiled. "Good, again!"

Arianne went to strike again, but something grabbed her leg. Surprised, she looked down to see Mala latched fiercely onto her, smiling wide.

"Get her, Marko! Get her!" she giggled. Arianne saw from the corner of her eye that Marko was coming at her, rapier raised. He swung down, and she blocked it easily. She grinned at his expression of surprise and agitation.

"What treachery is this?" she asked, and tried to move, but Mala had sat down on the ground and wrapped her legs around her leg as well. Marko struck again, and Arianne blocked it.

"You should full well know, Jester, that your enemy will often resort to fighting dirty!" he cried out. Arianne pouted at him as he kept coming at her with the rapier.

"Fighting dirty is a lesson you aren't even close to being ready to learn yet!" she said, and shot her free foot out and tripped him. He fell over and dropped the rapier, then sat quickly up.

"Not fair!" he said.

"Says the boy that had his sister hold me down so he could get a shot in!" Arianne said.

"I'm a Gypsy, not some noble!" he said. Arianne leaned on her rapier, thinking over what he said.

"Nobles are just men with a lot of money and favor in the Queen. They're nothing special. I'd much rather be a Gypsy." she said. Marko became confused.

"Why on earth would you want that? You have a rich life, with a powerful father and big rooms and-"

"Because, dear Marko," Arianne interrupted. "I may have all of those things, but never ever in my entire life have I ever happily played with another child. Nor have I ever truly had something such as fun, nor have I ever been able to smile so genuinely as I am able to do now. I will tell you now that there is so much more to life than money and treasures."

"Like putting on masks and saving people?" he asked.

"Yup! Now, are you ready to continue, or do you need to roughhouse a little more before you're ready?" she asked. Marko jumped up and picked up his rapier.

"I'm ready to continue." he said. Before Arianne could ask Mala to let go of her leg, she and the children heard the clearing of someone's throat. They looked up to see Clopin watching them with mild interest.

"Hi, Clopin!" Mala jumped up and waved to him. He smiled at her.

"I see you are enjoying yourself, _petite fleur_!" he said. She giggled, and Marko took her hand.

"Come, we should go, Mala, so they can talk." he said. Before she could protest, he took her quickly away, leaving Arianne still leaning on her rapier, looking rather disgruntled.

"You chased my student off." she snipped at Clopin, and walked away toward the small tent that Jaelle had made for her. It was big enough for a small bed and a little trunk to put her things in, and that was about it. A sleeping space, and nothing more. She set the rapier down and took her new sword up, buckling the sheath around her waist and casing the sword in it. Clopin raised a bemused brow at it when she exited her tent.

"A problem, Trouillefou? Or have you only come to make another death threat against me?" she asked, then began to straighten up the space around the tent.

"I don't remember authorizing you to have a weapon.." he said, deciding to ignore her last comment. She glanced threateningly at him.

"You are welcome to try and take it, _monsieur_..." she said, and picked up a small stool. He smirked at her.

"You aren't the only one here with a sword skill, _mam'zelle._" he said. Arianne rolled her eyes and walked with the stool over to Jaelle's.

"Thank you so much for reminding me of the blatantly obvious." she said before taking it into the old woman's tent. He followed her inside.

"All in a day's service."he muttered.

"Hello, Clopin. Nice to see you're still breathing. Oh, Arianne, I need you to go to Ghimli and ask for some beef. And get me some rice from Kaso." Jaelle said to her. "Tell them I'll give them some herbs later on to make up for it."

"Alright, Jaelle. I'll be back then." Arianne said, picked up a small basket, and walked out of the tent with Clopin on her heels.

"You're going to walk through the court with that sword on your side?" he asked. Arianne took a dep breath before answering.

"If you'd walked out of your shell of a tent once in a while, then you would have noticed that I've been doing this all week." she said. They passed a large stage, and Arianne looked up at the beam that rose from it. From it, a noose hung. She swallowed, wondering how many had died there, and upped her pace.

"_Really_?" Clopin asked, keeping right next to her.

"Look, why don't you tell me why you're buzzing around me like an annoying fly already?" she asked, annoyance clearly written on her face.

"I have come to apologize."

"Alright then." was her answer. Clopin blinked at her.

"S-so that is it then? You forgive me, just like that?" he asked. This was much easier than he thought. Arianne gave a cold laugh.

"You most certainly not forgiven. I've only just accepted the fact that you apologized."

"Well then why is it you are not forgiving me then?" he asked. Arianne reached Ghimli's tent and began to look over his table of assorted meats, ignoring Clopin completely.

"Let's see...ah, here. _Monsieur_ Ghimli, may I have one pound of this beef for Jaelle? She promises to provide you with herbs for curing your meat when she gets the chance." she said to the muscled man behind the table. He nodded and stood, a butcher knife in hand, then cut a small hunk of meat for Arianne. He wrapped it, then presented it to her. She took it gratefully and placed it in the basket. "Thank you very much _monsieur._" she said, and began to walk back to Kaso's tent, where the woman kept plenty of fresh produce and grains. Clopin caught up with her and huffed.

"Well, will you not answer me?" he asked.

"I could, but I think it would be more fun for you to figure it out..." she said, and reached Kaso's tent. She walked up to the woman and smiled. "Hello, Jaelle is in need of rice. Could I have some?" she asked. The woman cocked her head to the side and spoke in Romani to her. Arianne froze.

"She only speaks Romani, or didn't you know that..." Clopin said to her. Arianne spun on him.

"Well then, could you be useful and ask her for what I need?" she asked. Clopin adjusted one of his gloves in amusement.

"I could, but I think it would be more fun for you to figure it out..." he repeated her words, and her face flushed with color. She turned to Kaso, who had been waiting patiently.

"Um...orez, va rugam sa?" she asked, begging in her mind that she used the right words. The woman scrunched her brow for a moment in thought, then her eyes lit up and she nodded. She went into her tent and brought out a pouch of rice. She handed it to Arianne, who bowed low to her and waved before walking back towards Jaelle's tent.

"Lucky guess..." Clopin said to her. She smirked.

"But I still figured it out, which is one task that you have yet to do, apparently."

"Why are you being so stubborn with me, while you are all happy with everyone else?" he asked. Arianne sighed and set down the basket and placed her hands on her hips. She scowled up at Clopin.

"Is it really so hard to understand why, or are you really just that much a fool?" she asked angrily. "First! You keep me here against my will! Second! You threaten to hang me!" she yelled, and jabbed her finger at him.

"Are you still hung up about that?" he asked. Arianne growled and palmed him in the forehead.

"What do you think, you _idiot?_" she asked. Clopin rubbed his forehead and glared back at her. Gypsies began to gather around them, interest plain on their faces.

"You are angry for keeping you here? You would be dead if we hadn't taken you in in the first place. Might I remind you of that injury of yours?" he said.

"An injury I took saving your people from those damned guards, something that should be more _your_ responsibility than mine, by the way!"

"Don't push the blame on me! And let's bring up the subject for why you're doing _this_," he gestured to her Jester outfit, "in the first place!"

"I have my reasons!"

"Let's hear them, dear Jester! Are your intentions to cut the boredom in your dull life, or are you just using this to get back at your papa for not getting you a pony for your birthda-"

Arianne, filled with pure rage, backhanded Clopin's face before he could finish. The crowd of Gypsies gasped at her actions, and Clopin placed a hand where she had hit him. His expression darkened, and he gave a cruel smile.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" he asked.

"You dare accuse me of such horrid reasons!"

"They are the only reasons I can come up with! You've nothing else to be bothered about, with everything being given to you and servants waiting on you hand and foot!" he yelled at her. Arianne went to punch him. He dodged, and she went forward, he stuck his foot out and tripped her, sending her falling to the ground. The crowd chuckled at her reddened face. She growled, and kicked Clopin's legs out from under him, sending him falling as well. They stood, staring threateningly at each other. Arianne drew her sword, and pointed it at him. A Gypsy man handed Clopin a different sword.

"The King is at swords with Maria's Jester!" a Gypsy called at the other Gypsies of the court. Everyone seemed to appear from nowhere, giving Clopin and Arianne a wide girth so as not to be caught in the middle. Arianne and Clopin had hardly noticed though, as they were too busy glaring at each other, their swords raised.

"A shame you don't have your mask; I might scratch that pretty little face of yours.." Clopin said with a smirk.

"Don't worry yourself, little King; you won't get the chance." Arianne quipped.

"How vain of you. All only expected from a brat of the Judge!"

"Why doesn't the Prince of Puppets go off and play with his dolls!" Arianne charged then, and swung hard at him. He blocked it, and kicked Arianne in the gut. She flinched in pain when he hit her wound as some people from the crowd cheered at the fact that their King got the first hit in.

Clopin saw her clutch her stomach and curse. He lowered his sword slightly, worry crossing his face.

"Hey, are you-" before he could finish, Arianne shot forward and cut his arm with her blade. He drew back, and she smirked.

"You may have made the first hit, King, but it seems I've drawn first blood." she said, and some others in the crowd cheered at her. The fight continued, and Arianne found that Clopin was very good with the sword. She had to give it her all just to block and dodge his attacks, but she knew it was just the same for him, as she would only miss him by a hair when she went on the offense. They occasionally nicked or scratched each other, but that was about it.

Clopin slashed down at her legs, and she backflipped away before it hit her, earning some awe from the crowd. Clopin rolled his eyes and caught up with her.

"Fancy footwork isn't going to change my opinion on you!" he said to her when they clashed swords again.

"Like I give a damn about your opinion!"

"This whole fight is due to your reaction to my opinion! I'd hate to be your spouse if this is how short your temper is! I actually feel a glimmer of pity for Henri!" he said. Arianne pushed him back and caught her breath.

"It's not my fault you're an ignorant fool!"

"Ignorant fool, indeed! I remember being sent to jail, by you, for calling you those very words!"

"You were sent because you punched my fiance!"

"_Fiance_?!"

"_Yes,_but that's not the issue! I broke you out that very night anyway!"

"Which is something I don't get, by the way! What the hell was the point in that?!"

"I needed to keep my act up! You've no idea what I've been through all these years!"

"Pretending to hate Gypsies! How difficult!"

"Not just that, you idiot!"

"Then what-"

Both fighters stopped breathing when they found each other's blades at their throats. They froze in place, and eyed each other threateningly. The crowd broke into murmurs, surprised that the two had come to a draw. Arianne took this as an opportunity, and pushed her blade lightly against Clopin's bare skin.

"Now you listen, and listen well..." she hissed. Clopin swallowed, wary of her expression. He nodded for her to go on. "Good. Now I know you know only too well the feelings experienced while being forced to sit and watch as innocent people die by order of a madman. Those feelings of hopelessness, of uselessness, and sorrow. I had enough of it, so I did something about it..." Clopin looked up at her and hooded his eyes.

"So, this was all just to make you feel better about yourself?" he asked. Arianne went rigid, and she shook her head at how dense this man was. She sighed and dropped her sword, and he did the same with his own.

"I'm done here. Until you figure out that I'm not some spoiled rich girl with too much time to kill, I don't want you near me." she said, and walked away from him. The crowd parted, and she disappeared back to Jaelle's tent.

...

"Well, let me see here now. He got some good scratches in, I'll say that much." Jaelle said. Arianne had removed her tunic, and Jaelle was cleaning up her injuries and looking after her major one. "He hit you right there, didn't he? I see the bruise forming. That's gonna hurt, girl..." she said. Arianne only nodded as a reply, and stared off into space. Jaelle tsked at her. "Shouldn't be fighting with Clopin. I know he can get annoying, but you need to control your temper-"

"He made blatant accusations that I was not guilty of." Arianne interrupted, and chuckled darkly. "And there he was saying_ I _was like my father..."

"You need to understand. He's grown up in an environment where that very thing is the norm of people. Though he fights against it, he can't help it if he commits it once in a while. He lost his parents to that very thing. First his mother, a very stern woman, who was hung when he was just a little boy. Then his father died, but you know all about that...Frollo took everything from him, all because of unjustified accusations."

"That's all very sad and all, but Clopin isn't the only one that happened to; I went through that very same thing-"

"Please enlighten me, then." came a voice. Arianne looked behind her to see Clopin walking in with the basket of meat and rice she had left in the court. She didn't even care that she was half naked. She just glared at him, then turned back to Jaelle. Clopin rested the basket on the ground, and looked at Arianne's back. His eyes widened.

Long, thin scars covered her back, showing up just slightly paler than her own skin. She glanced at him.

"Done staring at my father's handiwork?" she asked, and he quickly looked away.

"You were saying, before I interrupted?" he said, crossing his arms.

"You're not the only one who lost loved ones because of my dear father." she said. Clopin nodded.

"That is quite obvious. Many Gypsies have died, all missed by someone who held them dear. What's your point?"

"I was referring to my mother." she muttered. "She was poisoned by my father, and lay in her bed for weeks, hurting and crying, before finally dying and being released to Heaven. All this because she was going to leave him and defile the sanctity of marriage." Jaelle had stopped tending to her wounds and she and Clopin stared in shock at her.

"Oh, Arianne..." Jaelle whispered, and patted her hand. Arianne looked right at Clopin.

"So, don't be too angry if I say my reasons for becoming Maria's Jester are at least a little personal, and not just revolving around the safety of innocent Gypsies..." she said, and turned away from him again, becoming silent. She heard him leave, and leaned forward. Jaelle rested her hand on her back.

"I've got some sad news for you, Arianne Frollo." she said. "You're officially one of us..."

...

Author's Note: So sorry for the lateness, but I typed this all up this morning, and my computer went all !BLAHBLAHDANGERDANGERBLAHBLAH ! and I lost all of the data. O.O I freaked out and left it alone for a few hours, then I retyped it. The first version was better, but sadly I don't remember every detail of it. (I just type as I go along, eh-heh. ^^') I'll try to have next chapter up tonight, but don't get your hopes up please, lol. Thank you for your reviews, they mean very much to me. ;D


	13. Hangman

After Jaelle got Arianne all fixed up, Arianne went back to her own small tent and remained there for the rest of the day. Mala and Marko came by once to try and speak with her, but thankfully Jaelle sent them on their way. Arianne stayed under the thin sheets on her bed all day, relaying her fight with Clopin in her head over and over. At first she would become angry as she replayed what he had said to her, but as she kept thinking on it, the anger dulled to simple agitation.

She woke up that night to someone tapping continuously on the front of her tent, and she groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Whozzat?" she grunted and yawned loudly.

"Oh, you were asleep?" Clopin's voice asked. Arianne blinked.

"No, I was taking tea with the Queen of England. She doesn't like you, so you better go. She has quite the temper." she said, earning a light chuckle from him. She slumped back down onto the pillows. "What do you want, King Trouillefou?"

"We are having a bonfire, and I was just curious if you would like to join us." he said. Arianne thought about it.

"By 'us', you don't mean you and your puppets, do you?" she asked.

"No, just me and the other people who have trouble sleeping at night without a belly full of ale."

"So, a bunch of drunk men..."

"And women, but yes, that's about it. Join us?" Arianne sighed heavily, and sat up. She may as well. Staying in this small space was getting to her.

"Fine. One moment."

"Certainly." he said. Arianne stood and went to change from her nightgown and into her outfit, but remembered that is was still in Jaelle's tent. She went to her small trunk and opened it, finding only dresses.

"Great..." she muttered.

"Problem?" Clopin asked.

"No, just hold it." she replied., and searched through the dresses. She found a red one that seemed alright, and slipped into that. There were no sleeves, and the neckline was a little too low for her liking, but at least it was comfortable, unlike the dresses she was forced to wear when she lived with her father. It was form-fitting at the waist, and hung loose at the skirt, that reached down to mid calf, showing some leg. She took a black shawl from the trunk and wrapped it over her shoulders. When she was changed, she took one look in her small mirror. She thought about putting her hair up, but felt a twinge of laziness and decided to leave it. She took a small carving knife and tucked it in one of the folds of hr dress, just to be safe.

"I'm not going to enjoy this..." she muttered, and walked out to see Clopin waiting patiently for her. When he saw her, he smiled and bowed low.

"_Madame_! Had I known a lady lived here, I'd have dressed a little better!" he said, and righted himself. Arianne walked up to him, and elbowed him in the side.

"Shut up, fool. My outfit is being fixed by Jaelle because you sliced it up."

"Not my fault you didn't dodge my blade quick enough." he said with a shrug, and offered his arm for her to take. Arianne shook her head and took it, and he lead her down across the empty court to the large bonfire in the center. There were about two dozen Gypsies sitting around it, mostly men, and they were laughing and talking idly to one another as they took swigs of alcohol from large steins.

They noticed Clopin and Arianne walking towards them, and they whistled and cat-called at Arianne when they saw what she was wearing.

"The Jester is a very lovely specimen when she wants to be!" said one.

"Shut up, you drunkard, or she'll cut you down with those pretty hands of hers!"

"That, or take you down with those piercing eyes!" said another, and they all laughed. Arianne blushed as she and Clopin sat down on one of the blankets that littered the area.

"Hello, Arianne." said one of the women who walked up to her and sat down. It was Drina, and she held two steins. She smiled and handed one to Arianne and the other to Clopin, then walked back over to Miro, who's cheeks were a bit red from the ale.

Arianne looked down at the beer in the stein. She'd never had alcohol before, save the wine she sipped from during church. She didn't like the idea of her senses being fizzled, so she kept away from it. But now, she didn't have to worry, since she wouldn't be going out at night for a long time, so she sook a small sip of it.

"You like it? Or is it too strong for your delicate palate?" Clopin asked when he saw her face scrunch up. She shot him a devils glare before answering.

"It's strong, but I'll get used to it..." she said, and forced herself to take another, longer drink. Clopin chuckled, and she could of sworn he called her stubborn before he took a long swig from his own stein.

"A toast!" One man called after a few minutes. "To Maria's Jester, who has sworn her life to the betterment of our people and destroying her devil-of-a-father's name!" they all raised their steins once and cheered before drinking.

"And another! To our dear King who managed not to die today while fighting this skilled beauty!" they all laughed, but raised their steins anyway. Clopin pouted.

"You have no faith in me, if you think I could be beaten by a _woman!_" he said with a grin. They laughed again, then hooted when they saw Arianne frown.

"I think the King is calling you out, dear lady! Are you going to take that?" one asked. She sniffed, and took on a disinterested expression as she looked over at Clopin.

"Strong words, coming from a man who had to hop around like a drunken frog to dodge my attacks." she said. The laughter continued, and it was Clopin's turn to frown.

"You _wound_ me with your icy words, _madame_!" he said, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. Arianne smirked.

"If I'd known you were so sensitive, _monsieur_, then I wouldn't have bothered picking up a sword and would have just critiqued your choice of clothing!" she said, and took another drink. The others were falling over now, clutching their sides and gasping for air as their laughter heightened.

"This girl is blessed with a devil's tongue!" One managed to wheeze, and the others agreed with him. Eventually they calmed down, and got back to talking amongst themselves. Clopin seemed to be thinking over something, and Arianne leaned over to him.

"Haven't you a good comeback? Or is the great King of Traund's lips for once locked tight?" she asked. Clopin looked over to her, and smiled wolfishly.

"I'd not talk of locking lips,_ cherie_, else you might give me some fun ideas." he said, just loud enough for her to hear. She leaned away from him, blushing furiously.

"Need I remind you that I am a taken woman?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, Henri was it? How did that happen anyway?" he asked. Arianne set down her drink and leaned back on the palms of her hands.

"My father approved of him, and, not wanting to fall out of his graces, I went along with it. Henri is also my means of fencing instruction, so if I had cut it off with him, then I would never know what I do now, and I wouldn't be here." she said, gesturing to the court. Clopin nodded.

"Thank you for putting up with that oaf for our sakes." he said.

"No problem, but come next summer, I'll most likely have to hang up my mask for good, being a wife and all." she said, and she stared into the fire, sadness showing in her brown eyes. Clopin swirled his drink silently.

"So, I guess that means your freedom is limited..." he said. Arianne nodded.

"Yeah..."

"I guess you'll just have to do what you can until that time, hmm?"

"Yeah..."

"Live life to it's fullest, take on anything that comes your way, and what-not..."

"Yeah..." Arianne was about to ask why he was saying all this when he suddenly leaned over and kissed her full on the mouth. She instantly felt her cheeks become fire hot, and she pushed him back. He grinned at her, and the others around the fire hooted and cheered at their King's boldness. With Arianne staring furiously at him, Clopin raised his stein high in the air.

"Cheers for me, Clopin Trouillefou, who has so fiendishly snuck a kiss from Maria's Jester herself!" he cried, and they all cheered at the top of their voices. While they laughed and commended Clopin, Arianne took the woodcarving knife from the fold of her dress. With it in hand, she reached over...

...and cut a large tuft from Clopin's beard, leaving it horribly uneven. The others watched, bug-eyed with glee on their faces as she tossed the tuft of air into the fire. They then fell over laughing when they witnessed Clopin's stricken face. He looked at Arianne in utter disbelief, and she raised her stein a little to him.

"You needed a trim, anyway." she said, and took a drink

"You'll pay dearly for that, you know." he said, leaning over to her. She showed mild interest at that statement.

"Oh, really? Pray tell whatever that punishment may be?" she asked.

"Mama! Mama!" came a child's voice before he could answer. Arianne and Clopin looked over to see Mala running up to Drina, tears in her eyes and panic on her face. Drina hugged the child and looked worriedly at her.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked.

"A-A guard! A guard came into the tent! Marko is still in there!" she cried. Silence fell over the group as they took in what she said. A cry of pain from far away snapped them all out of it. Clopin was the first on his feet.

"Get to their tent, now! I want this man caught!" he yelled angrily, and they all did just that, leaving Clopin, Arianne, Drina, and Mala. Arianne ran over to the two other girls. Mala began to sob.

"What happened?" Arianne asked.

"Me and Marko were playing because you were out here and we couldn't sleep. Then that man walked in. H-He grabbed me, and Marko took his practice sword and slapped his face with it. He dropped me, and Marko told me to get out, so I ran here! I though Marko followed me, but he didn't! Is he gonna be okay, mama?" she asked, and Drina held her tightly, cooing and shushing her.

"He'll be okay, baby. I know he will." she said.

"Clopin, we have him!" a man said after running up.

"A guard?" Clopin asked. The man nodded, and Clopin narrowed his eyes.

"Wake everyone. I want this entire area searched before we get rid of this one. Lower the gate so no one can get out." he said, and walked up to Arianne. She looked at him, and almost cringed at how deadly serious he was.

"I know that you do not enjoy seeing executions, milady." he said. "But I'm going to have to regrettably ask you to please endure this one." he said. Arianne took a shaky breath, and nodded.

"Alright." she said.

"In fact, I would like you to participate in it, if that's okay." he said. Arianne furrowed her brow in suspicion.

"What is it you want me to do?" she asked.

"I'd like you to dress in your Jester outfit, so he may have the honor of seeing exactly who Maria's Jester is before he dies." he said, his voice even, and cold. Arianne wanted to protest, but seeing the hate in his face made her change her mind. She nodded, and walked briskly to Jaelle's tent to change clothes.

"What's happened?" Jaelle asked when she entered. Arianne grabbed her outfit.

"A guard was found in Drina's tent. They're searching the area now for another one." she said, and went to her own tent. After changing, she put her hood up, sheathed her sword, and exited. The torches were all lit, and it may as well have been day time. Everyone was awake, and alert. If any were tired, they certainly didn't show it. Arianne looked over and watched as some of them lowered the large iron gate over the entrance.

"Mam'zelle." Clopin jogged up to her. He looked her over. "Excellent. Where is your mask?"

"It's broken."

"Ah, damn. That would have been perfect-"

"Um, excuse me." Arianne and Clopin looked down to see Mala standing there, her eyes red from tears and a wrapped something in her hands.

"Mala, is Marko okay?" Arianne asked. Mala sniffed and nodded.

"He got a couple bruises and he lost his loose tooth early, but that's it. Here." she said, and held the wrapped item up for Arianne to take. Arianne took it, and unwrapped the item to find it was a new mask. It was white, and swirling thorn vines were painted prettily over it in black. Black paint was also used to rim the eyes, and the lips were painted dark red.

"Oh, this is very lovely, Mala." Arianne said.

"I painted the lips, and mama painted the swirlies." the girl said. "I gotta go now. Mama told me to drop this off and gor right back." Mala said, and she ran off.

"Well, that problem is solved." Clopin said. Arianne nodded once, and put the mask on. It fit well, and gave her enough vision so she could fight without it being an obstacle.

"Alright." she said quietly. "Let's go." Clopin lead her over to the stage, where the captured guard sat, his hands tied behind his back. She walked up onto it, and stood off to the side. Clopin walked up to the guard, and the crowd hushed.

"Well, what have we here, then?" Clopin asked loudly. The guard didn't answer, and looked away from him. Clopin went on. "It seems you like to prey on small children! We don't take kindly to those sorts!" he said. The crowd murmured in agreement. The guard snorted, but didn't say anything. "Is there another of you here?" Clopin asked. Again, the guard was silent. Clopin growled and kicked the guard right in the face. "Is there another one here!" he asked louder.

"N-no, you Gypsy scum..." the guard spat, and looked away again. Clopin didn't seem to believe him.

"You know, if you out your friend, it might help keep you from that lovely rope hanging over your head, _monsieur._.." he said calmly. The guard began to sweat, and Clopin smiled. When nothing was said, Clopin shrugged and hoisted the guard up to his feet, the wrapped the noose around his neck. He walked to the lever that would unhinged the floor from under the guards feet. "Alright, if you'd like to die so soon-"

"Wait, wait!" The guard cried, and Clopin stopped in his tracks.

"_Yeees_?" he asked.

"H-he hid in one of the barrels behind the tent I went into when he heard you coming! I saw him!" the guard said. Clopin looked to some of the Gypsy men and nodded in the direction of Drina's tent. They ran over to it, and sure enough, some moments later they had another guard with them, struggling as best he could to get away, but to no avail. They tied his hand behind his back and threw him up onto the stage. He sat up and glared at his comrade.

"You slimy, two-faced bastard son of a Gypsy!" he shouted. The other guard only shook from where he stood, the noose still around his neck. Clopin leaned on the lever with a smug expression.

"Looks like a double-header, tonight folks!" he called, and the crowd cheered. The guard who outed the other looked shocked at Clopin.

"You said I would live-"

"Nooo, no, no, no!" Clopin interrupted, wagging his finger at him. "I said it _might_ help you, which means you _may _or _may not_ die tonight, depending on my mood. I'm feeling pretty agitated, so...you die." he said, and shrugged innocently at the guard. Arianne sighed from her spot, and Clopin looked over at her. "Oh, yes! It seems I nearly forgot someone!" he said, and brought her forward. The guards looked up at her, and they took on an expression of fear and hatred.

"Maria's Jester..." sad one guard, and spat at the ground.

"I thought they had died!" said the other. Clopin frowned.

"Oh, really? You all thought she was dead?" he asked. The guards nodded, and Clopin shook his head and chuckled. "Well, she isn't! And we have a very nice treat for you, before you die tonight!" The guards looked suspiciously at Clopin. "You two get to see the true face of Maria's Jester!" he said. The crowd chuckled knowingly, and the guards' eyes widened in shock and interest.

Arianne stepped forward slowly, and faced them both. They watched, never blinking, as she removed her hood and mask. Their faces drained at the sight of her, and the crowd erupted in laughter.

"Miss Frollo!" one yelled. Arianne nodded, and unsheathed her sword.

"I, Arianne Frollo, am the infamous Maria's Jester." she said loud and clear, and the crowd cheered at her. The guards' faces slowly turned from shock to hatred.

"You would go against your own father..._you traitorous bitch_!" said the one with the noose around his neck. The crowd hushed, and Clopin narrowed his eyes at the guard.

"Wring choice of words, _monsieur_. Goodbye." he said, and pulled the lever. The small door unhinged from under the guard, and he fell. Arianne heard a familiar sickening crack, and she watched his body twitch and swing in the air. She swallowed as he was afterward pulled down and Clopin pulled the lever back to close the door again. The next guard was up, and they forced him to stand and placed the noose around his neck. He looked at Arianne and pleaded to her.

"You were always known for your mercy! Let me live, lady Frollo, let me l-" the lever was pulled again, and he too fell to his death, the rope becoming taught as it stopped him and wrenched at his neck. The crowd cheered at their deaths in dark joy, and they all watched as the bodies were quickly an unceremoniously disposed of.

Arianne, with her new mask clutched tightly in her hand, hopped down and made her way silently through the crowd, not feeling very deserving of the commending and pats on the back she received from those she passed. She walked to her tent, where Jaelle waited.

"Arianne, you seemed distressed over something-"

"I'm sorry, Jaelle, but I can't speak right now." she said, and went into her tent without another word. She took off her sword and set it down on her trunk with her mask, then sat roughly down on her bed. The pleas of the guard pressed her mind, and she gripped her hair. No one had ever pleaded for their lives to her before, and it was a disturbing experience, indeed.

"Arianne?" she heard Clopin's voice from outside her tent. She didn't answer, hoping he would go away. He walked inside instead, and she held back the sob building in her throat as he sat next to her. He placed his arm over her shoulders, and held her. "It is okay, _fleur_..." he said. Arianne shook her head.

"He begged for his life. That's haunting, Clopin." she said. "I...I pictured myself in my father's shoes back there, and I imagined all the countless people who did the same exact thing with him, begging for him to have mercy and receiving none. How could one man be so cruel, and how can I be related to that?" she asked. Clopin sighed, and appeared to think for a moment. He took off his hat and placed it on her head. It dooped below her eyes.

"You need to get your mind out of those dark places. They will not have anything good for you. Clopin would know." he said. Arianne lifted the hat a little and stared at him for a moment before finally nodding. She clutched the brim of her hat with her hands.

"Okay." she said. He smiled kindly at her, and snatched his hat back.

"Good, now give me my hat." he said, and dusted it off. Arianne smirked.

"You have a big head if that fits you properly, just saying." she said. He raised a brow at her.

"That is the rabbit calling the bear a giant, _ma cherie_. It is all a matter of perspective." he said.

"So are you calling me short?" she asked.

"Yes, of course, but I made it sound much nicer." he said. She socked him in the arm.

"I could still take you out, you know." she said.

"Oh I would love to dine with you!"

"I didn't mean it like that!"

The two bickered with each other for a few more hours before Clopin finally left her alone to sleep. She couldn't sleep though, and even though Clopin had cheered her up somewhat, she still felt the past events nag at her mind fiercely.

"Don't put your mind in dark places..." she muttered to herself as she stared at the canopy above her. "Right..."


	14. Arianne Hates Goats

The next morning, Arianne awoke groggily to something tugging at the hem of her dress. She grunted, and turned her face into the silky pillow.

"Mala, what is it, girl?" she asked, thinking the small child had come to wake her as she sometimes did. But a young girl's voice didn't respond to Arianne.

A bleat did.

Arianne's eyes popped open and she lifted herself to see where the noise came from. A small white goat with large doey eyes was chewing on a torn piece of her dress. He swallowed the fabric, looked at her, and bleated again before he resumed attempting to eat. Arianne scowled.

"Oh, no you don't..."

...

Clopin was making his rounds about the court that morning, asking various Gypsies how they've faired since the scare from last night and checking with the Gypsies who were standing watch last night about what exactly happened that allowed the Parisian guards to wander so far into the court unnoticed.

"We traced their footsteps", said one. "The old entrance that opened near the Hanged Goose Pub was found unguarded. They must have been snooping around and stumbled onto it. We've had the entrance closed and barricaded. No one will get through anymore."

"I trust you," Clopin said unconvincingly, "But I want a night watch their every night from now on, just to be safe."

"Yes, king."

"Good, start tonight."

"Of course."

Clopin tipped his hat to the watchman and walked off, glancing around at the large crowd of people talking excitedly to each other as they went about their usual routines. His eyes hooded at the thought that his home could have been very nearly lost last night, had the guard not given up his companion. He shivered. It wasn't easy being king, especially if you were the king of a secret underground society of boisterous people. Grimacing, he forced his mind to look on the bright side.

"At least it is a tiny bit calm this morni-"

Before he could finish, Clopin's words of positivity were cut off and made false by a loud shout of anger from a few paces away. The King of Traunds sighed when he saw that the growl came from Arianne's tent.

_"_Out of my tent! _Out_! Before I skewer you!" her voice echoed through the court.

"_Merde_..." Clopin's eyed widened in wonder at what could possibly make her so angry. As if to answer his question, a small goat with shock and fear on it's face stumbled out of her tent. She followed, her hair a mess from sleep and sword in her hand. She looked crazed.

"If I ever see you in my tent again, I'll skin your hide and sell your carcass to the butcher!" she yelled as the goat quickened his pace, his floppy ears flapping about as he went. Arianne huffed when the gat was out of sight and returned to her tent. People who were near the scene chuckled at her behavior.

"_Someone_ isn't a morning person..." Clopin heard Jaelle mumble irritably from her tent. He smirked, and began to walk towards Arianne's tent when he heard someone rushing towards him from behind. Clopin dodged sideways, and a flash of purple and white flew past him, hitting the ground.

"Ooow!" the fallen person groaned in agitation, and Clopin shook his head smugly.

"After all these long years, you still cannot sneak on a person to save your life. You're much too noisy." he said. The person sat up and threw back their mass of long dark hair to reveal a pretty face with stunning green eyes. The young woman scowled at Clopin, and he bowed. "_Bonjour, _Esmeralda."

"Hello, Uncle...help a dame out, would you?" Esmeralda asked, holding out her hand for him to take. Clopin took it and helped her stand, and she brushed the dust off her purple skirt. Clopin took in the sight of his niece.

"You are so pretty now, Esme. I can hardly remember the scrawny, bucktoothed seventeen-year-old who left to travel three years before." he said with a playful grin. Esmeralda smiled wide, and hugged him tightly.

"And you've only gotten older." she said, and lifted his hat. She pointed. "See? I knew it. A receding hairline." Clopin laughed, but hurriedly made her drop his hat back onto his head.

"So what brings you back to us?" he asked. "I thought you were to travel the world and what-not." Esmeralda shrugged her shoulders and gestured to the court.

"The travel was great. The sights were beautiful, and the people I met were kind. But, I got homesick. I missed being with my own people. So, after a few more months, I decided to return. I'm happy that not much has changed."

"Ah, yes, nothing has really changed." Clopin said, glancing at Arianne's tent nervously.

"Frollo's still around then?" Esmeralda asked. Clopin nodded, and she frowned.

"I'd hoped he'd be gone..." she said, and squinted her eyes as if trying to remember something. "And didn't he have a bratty daughter? Aria-"

"Oh,_ cherie, _you must be tired from your travels!" Clopin burst out, and wheeled Esmeralda away from Arianne's tent towards his own. "Why don't you rest in my tent for a few hours! We'll talk about your visits over dinner, how does that sound?" Esmeralda looked up at her Uncle curiously.

"Uh, okay, but I need to get Jolly." she said.

"Who is that? A friend?" he asked. As an answer, Esmeralda brought her fingers to her lips and gave a loud whistle. Some moments later, the same goat from earlier came trotting quickly towards them both.

"Oh, _merde_..." Clopin muttered. The goat reached them and jumped into Esmeralda's arms.

"This little sweety is Jolly. He's a bit of a hassle sometimes, but he gets along with everyone he meets pretty quickly." Clopin gave an unamused laugh.

"Unless you're a sleepy sword-wielding psychopath on a massive hangover..." he mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Esmeralda asked. Clopin waved his hands quickly.

"Oh, nothing, _fleur_! Nothing! Now, to my tent with you! I will call for you later on!" Clopin ushered her towards his tent, and she finally complied.

"O-okay, well, see you soon then..." she said, and walked towards his tent alone with Jolly in her arms, feeling slightly confused about the way her Uncle was acting. When she reached his tent, she walked inside. Puppets littered the tables and walls, and she smiled with mild relief. "You haven't changed at all, Uncle..."

Back outside, Clopin was pacing. Esmeralda didn't like who she thought was Arianne Frollo. To her, Arianne was the exact copy of her father. It didn't help either that a young Esmeralda made multiple dark threats to Arianne's life when she had Clopin sent to the Palace of Justice. If she saw her, she wouldn't make any hesitation to lunge at her.

"Ooooh, _Maria _guide me..." Clopin muttered, and walked off to figure out what he would do about this insanity.

...

When Arianne finally emerged from her tent some hours later, she was wearing a different dress that reached just past her knees. It was blue, with white sleeves that hung loosely from her arms. Her silver hair was up in a ponytail, and her sword was strapped to her side. Slipping on some black sandals, she walked over to Jaelle's tent and tapped on the entrance.

"Jaelle, good morning. Can I come in?" she asked.

"Of course, dear. Of course. Come in. I heard you this morning, you know. Making friends with the local wildlife?" Jaelle asked. She was sitting on her bed, mending a purple tunic. Arianne huffed at the memory of that goat.

"That thing was chewing on my dress this morning, so excuse me if I wasn't feeling so hospitable." she said, and sniffed. Jaelle chuckled, eyeing the sword at Arianne's hip.

"Expecting another run-in with it today?" she asked, pointing to it. Arianne rubbed her neck in slight embarrassment.

"After last night, I want to keep my sword on me at all times." she said quietly. Jaelle nodded.

"I understand perfectly. Now, I have a small errand for you if you aren't doing anything." she said.

"Alright, I'm up to it. Do you need more rice or something?" Arianne asked.

"No, I need you to take this tunic and return it to it's owner." Jaelle said as she finished a stitch and cut the thread. Arianne took the purple tunic.

"Who do I take it to?"

"It's our dear king's. His tent is just on the other side of court. You won't miss it, what with the puppets hanging by the entrance. I swear, he's such a child when it comes to those things. Always having to show them off..."

"Alright, I'll take it there. Do you need anything else?" Arianne asked.

"No. If I need you, I'll send for you. Go on now, I need a nap and talking won't get me any rest at all." With that, Arianne left Jaelle's tent with the tunic slung over her arm and headed towards Clopin's tent. On her way, she was stopped by something latching to her dress. Thinking it was the goat, she turned around with an angry expression.

"I told you to keep a-" she stopped when she saw that it was Marko who was grasping her skirt. He was sporting a black eye, a swollen lip, and a surprised expression. Arianne calmed instantly. "Marko, how are you doing?" she asked.

"You're wearing a dress." he said. Arianne rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I am."

"You look all pretty and proper."

"Uhm, thank y-"

"I don't like it. Change back into Maria's Jester."

"Marko, have you anything to say to me, boy?" Arianne said in slight exasperation.

"I lost a tooth." he said, and lifted his lip to show that one of his front teeth was missing. "That dumb guard knocked it out when I was beating him up."

"Your sister told me about that." Arianne said, and kneeled down. "You were very brave for protecting her." she said. "You're more a man than all the Parisian guards put together." Marko blushed, but shook his head and put on a look of excitement.

"I used one of the blocks you taught me!" he said. "He was gonna backhand me, but I smacked his hand away with my rapier like this!" he made a motion, and Arianne smiled.

"Very good. You should show me again when we next practice." she said. Marko's face lit up.

"Can we practice now? Please?" he asked. Arianne shook her head.

"No, child. Not until you have recovered from your injuries. And I think your mama wants you to rest up for a while as well." she said. Marko frowned, but nodded in understanding. He noticed the tunic, and pointed to it.

"Whose is that?" he asked.

"Oh, it's Clopin's. Jaelle is having me take it to him." she said. Marko cocked his head to the side as he looked up at her.

"Are you going to marry Clopin?" he asked. The words hit Arianne like a brick, and she blushed furiously.

"I...what? No. No, no, no. Why would you ask that?" she asked, her voice heightened in complete shock. Marko shrugged.

"I dunno. Father said you both have known each other for a long time, and I've heard he kissed you last night-"

"What happened last night was due to too much alcohol." Arianne cut him off quickly. "Your king and I are not in any sort of relationship at all and never will be."

"Why not?" Marko pressed, and Arianne felt like she was being bombarded.

"Uh, um...I have to go." she said finally. Marko nodded, and watched her walk quickly off.

"She looks way too pretty..." he said, and began to return to his own home.

...

When Arianne reached Clopin's tent, her mind was racing. How could a child put her in such a spot as this? It was madness!

"Complete craziness. Stupid even." she said. Sighing, she forced the thoughts to the back of her mind and tapped on the front flap of the tent. "Clopin? It's me, Arianne. Jaelle sent be to bring you your tunic." she called. No one answered. "Clopin?" Again, no answer. Arianne tsked and opened the flap to walk in, resolving to place to tunic on is bed and leave.

As soon as she entered, however, all thoughts of the tunic vanished, and were replaced by awe. A large assortment of puppets hung from the fabric walls of the tent and littered the three tables and the floor. One table was covered in cut fabric and works in progress, thread spilling over the edges and hanging down in curls. Arianne picked up one of the puppets, a smiling blue cat.

"He's gotten so much better since I last saw these..." she mumbled, remembering that his puppets started off with simplistic designs. Now, as she inspected the cat, he'd gotten much better with detail. The cat's eyes were yellow marble with painted black pupils. Stiff, multicolored thread served as the whiskers, and small tufts of dyed horse hair protruded from the inside the triangular ears. The mouth even opened to reveal a felt orange tongue. "So cute." Arianne said, and carefully set it back down on the works in progress table. As she moved back to find his bed, she bumped into a chair covered in sheets of felt, and it crashed to the floor. "Dammit." she bent down to pick up the chair.

"Ugh, what's the noise? Clopin?" came a girl's voice. Arianne froze in her spot, and looked slowly up. A pile of fabric in the back moved, and from under it emerged a young woman, yawning tiredly and rubbing her eyes. "Clopin, you should really make yourself some blankets, I had to use your fabrics..." she said, her eyes remaining shut as she moved to stand. Another figure emerged from under the fabric as she stood, and Arianne scowled when she saw it was the goat from earlier, chomping on whatever he liked around him. He eyed her, and bleated nervously when he recognized her. The woman opened her eyes then, and they widened when they beheld Arianne.

"Arianne...Frollo?" she muttered slowly, her hands clenching to fists. Arianne noted this, and hesitated to answer.

"Um...yes?" she said uncertainly.

Arianne instantly regretted her truthfulness, for then all Hellfire broke loose.

...

**A/N: Hellooooooooooooo~! I'm back from Hiatus! Sorry! Had a lot of problems with getting a new computer! But now I've finally got one! Yay! Sorry for the mega lateness! **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapters! And thanks for the reviews!**


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